Children's Rights
Government Recognizes Children's Rights
In Sweden, children are recognized as
individuals with the
ability to think and act outside of others' influence. Caregivers
encourage children to play in order to develop their own ideas and
attitudes. Studies have shown that Swedish children clearly demonstrate a
strong capacity for sympathy regarding situations with their peers.
Families frequently visit playgrounds in order to allow their children to
interact with other kids. The majority of Swedish children are cooperative
and are generous in sharing their space and toys.
The most significant example of the ways in which Swedes acknowledge
children's rights is their position on corporal punishment. On July 1,
1979, Sweden officially banned corporal punishment. This ban was not
formulated to instruct parents on how to take responsibility for their
children, but to create guidelines for a responsible upbringing of
children by parents. This ban presents problems for immigrants who have
different ways of childrearing and young parents who struggle to find
alternative methods of discipline. The Swedish government acknowledges
these issues and provides special training for these parents.
References:
Berfenstam, R. & William-Olsson, I. (1973) Early Child Care in
Sweden. London Science Publishers Ltd.
Ziegert, K. (1983). The Swedish Prohibition on Corporal Punishment: A
Preliminary Report. Journal of Marriage and The Family,
45; 917-926.
The purpose of this website is to educate
browsers on children's rights in Sweden. This page was created by Kate
Harris, Magda Hayes, and Sheri Goldberg as a collaborative web-site for
Tulane University's
|
Children and Society
|
Freshman Writing Seminar. You can view the other country websites by going
to
Childhood Around the World
| .
The class was instructed by Professor Brayfield.