Current Legal Issues, Essay Example

The current legal issue that interests me is the child right debate that has been going on for sometimes in the country. The law defines a child as any person below the age of eighteen unless in such situation that the child enters a jurisdiction that adulthood is defined earlier. The child right has been defined as human right s in which very special attention is placed on the protection that is given to minors. While other rights entitled to children like the right to education, food and health are very vital in ensuring that the kids are not neglected by some careless parents (Bandman, 2009). Children have the right to associate with both parents even as they grow up. This law requirement often puts parents who have undergone very painful divorce in very awkward situations. The parents may not wish to see each other.

According to the law protecting the interest of the children in the society, is very important the interpretation of a child rights are done to allow the children some autonomous actions so that they are free from mental , physical and emotional dependence on the adult person. The law also states that children are free from abuse. This is another area that has been debated with different definition and interpretation being given for what actually constitute child abuse (Lansdown, 2005). While some liberal people will see any form of discipline as a form of abuse on a child, another more conservative school of thought will argue that it is necessary to discipline the child so that he or she grows up responsibly. As a result of a lot of activism of the child right proponents, corporal punishment has been abolished. The opposition to child right also argues that children need to be protected from the adult world of making decisions and taking responsibilities.

References

Bandman, B. (2009) Children’s Right to Freedom, Care, and Enlightenment. Routledge. p 67.

Lansdown, G. (2005)”Children’s welfare and children’s rights,” in Hendrick, H. (2005) Child Welfare And Social Policy: An Essential Reader. The Policy Press. p. 117