Children in the Global South continue to be affected by social disadvantage in our unequal post-colonial world order. With a focus on working-class children in Latin America, this book explores the challenges of promoting children’s rights in a context of decolonization. Liebel and colleagues give insights into the political lives of children and demonstrate ways in which the concept of children’s rights can be made meaningful at the grassroots level. Looking to the future, they consider how collaborative research with children can counteract their marginalization and oppression in society.

Children in the Global South continue to be affected by social disadvantage in our unequal post-colonial world order. With a focus on working-class children in Latin America, this book explores the challenges of promoting children’s rights in a context of decolonization. Liebel and colleagues give insights into the political lives of children and demonstrate ways in which the concept of children’s rights can be made meaningful at the grassroots level. Looking to the future, they consider how collaborative research with children can counteract their marginalization and oppression in society.

A pioneer of childhood studies, Liebel uses a broad array of international case studies to examine the repercussions of colonial conquest on children’s lives and childhood policies today. Looking at how children in the Global South are affected by unequal power relations, paternalistic policies and violence by state and nonstate actors, he shows how we can work to decolonize childhoods and ensure that children’s rights are better promoted and protected.

A pioneer of childhood studies, Liebel uses a broad array of international case studies to examine the repercussions of colonial conquest on children’s lives and childhood policies today. Looking at how children in the Global South are affected by unequal power relations, paternalistic policies and violence by state and nonstate actors, he shows how we can work to decolonize childhoods and ensure that children’s rights are better promoted and protected.

Children's work is on the increase in all parts of the world, including the affluent countries of Europe and North America, and is closely linked with the processes of globalization. It can take on widely differing forms and can harm children, but also benefit them. This book's approach is distinctive: it endeavors to understand working children, and their ways of living and acting, from their own perspective. It is interested in the children's own experiences and hopes, especially their attempts to speak out in public and to fight together against exploitation and discrimination. It shows that children frequently see and evaluate their work differently from adults, and that measures directed against children's work are not always in the interests of the children. It argues for a new, subject-oriented approach in dealing with children's work, which takes account of socio-cultural contexts, both in theory and practice.

Working to be Someone presents an overview of worldwide research on working children that considers children's own views of employment in favour of adult-constructed arguments about child work. This book brings together contributions by internationally renowned researchers who are committed to a 'subject-orientated' approach as well as views and observations of activists from organizations that either work with child labour or support working children's movements. Chapters examine the traditionally widespread care and domestic work carried out by children, discuss localized explorations of working children - for example in Morocco, India and Europe - as well as consider work as a means for children to contribute economically to the family. Contributors also discuss children's movements and organizations in Africa, Asia and South America that claim work as a necessity for survival as well as a key to children's own agency and citizenship. This book is a key text for both academics and social work practitioners that encourages re-evaluation of the notion of childhood and understands the complex phenomenon of working children.