ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the implications of children's rights for social work practice with children. Social workers have been primarily concerned with child welfare, rather than children's rights. Human rights approaches re-conceptualize children from the perspective of the whole child. Rights-based approaches to children, as exemplified by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), conceptualize and understand children as unique and deserving of special human rights consideration. The CRC recognizes that children aged 17 or under are especially vulnerable. It prohibits societal abuse, physical maltreatment, sexual abuse, as well as nonphysical maltreatment. It also protects children's human right to survival and development. Many NGOs promoting international child welfare across the Global South have adopted rights-based approaches. Social work practice can incorporate the rights-based practice principles of dignity, non-discrimination, participation, transparency, and accountability.
