ABSTRACT
Rights are most coherent when enforcing legally recognized norms. In recognition of the special moral status of children, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, which included many "standard" human rights as well as rights specific to children. Liberationists claim that, while children are not as fully developed as adults, they are not without rights, including rights held against their own parents. Margaret Coady argues in favor of children's rights, that is, special rights belonging to children as children. As a statement of rights the 1924 Declaration is unusual in that it is not directed at governments, but rather more generally at all adults who should recognize children's needs. The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, proclaimed in 1959, was even further from acknowledging autonomy rights. This Declaration has many similarities to the earlier declaration covering children's need for protection, adequate nutrition, housing and medical services.
