ABSTRACT
In this chapter we review the historical background and conceptual issues associated with Article 15 of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC; United Nations General Assembly, 1989)—children’s right to freedom of association and peaceful assemblyand explore the types of associations that children and adults have been creating to collectively exercise children’s rights. While Article 15 is no more or less important than any of the other articles of the CRC, it provides a foundation for children to come together with other children and adults and exercise the full range of their rights. For this reason, it deserves critical reflection in the same way the right to be heard (Article 12) and freedom of expression (Article 13) have received attention; so we focus here on Article 15 of the CRC, because of the dearth of discussion on it. Article 15 is a challenging article to consider because of the different conceptions of childhood around the world, including different views of children’s evolving capacities and the norms regarding their socialization. Central to this discussion are issues of justice and equity in the power dynamics between children and adults, as well as between children and other children.
