The Convention on the Rights of the Child went into force over thirty years ago. It is the most widely ratified treaty in the world, yet many children all over the world find themselves in...Show moreThe Convention on the Rights of the Child went into force over thirty years ago. It is the most widely ratified treaty in the world, yet many children all over the world find themselves in situations where their rights are violated. This thesis aims to research the Committee on the Rights of the Child’s influence on compliance of member states with the objectives of the Convention. Compliance with objectives on the minimum age of criminal responsibility in juvenile justice in Denmark shall be analysed through a single-case study. The theoretical expectation is that through interactions with the member state, the Committee has an agenda-setting influence on the domestic policy-making process, which in turn increases compliance. The research finds that when the member state finds itself in a condition of non-compliance with a particular objective, that the Committee’s monitoring and reporting mechanism provides an agenda-setting function and opportunity for Danish parliamentarians to initiate policy that increases compliance.Show less
This thesis aims to analyze the extent to which agency of unaccompanied children in transit is fostered at the US-Mexico border between 2009-2020. Firstly, the concept of agency in child migration...Show moreThis thesis aims to analyze the extent to which agency of unaccompanied children in transit is fostered at the US-Mexico border between 2009-2020. Firstly, the concept of agency in child migration will be defined. Secondly, an analysis of the social, political, and legal context will provide insight into the current situation of unaccompanied children at the border. Finally, a thematic analysis of a corpus of Mexican and US case law, state policy reviews and NGO reports will reveal the experiences of unaccompanied children at the border. These findings on agency will be supported by a small case study of an individual narrative. The results of the analysis give evidence that unaccompanied children are caught in an agency-repressive cycle. Due to the violations of children’s rights by the US and Mexico, unaccompanied children’s agency is not fostered at the border. Moreover, children’s expressions of agency lead to diminished acknowledgment of their vulnerability, which results in reduced access to rights for unaccompanied children.Show less