Abstract

"A world fit for children is a world fit for everyone." This phrase, coined by the children and youth of the recent U.N. Special Session, captures an enduring truth. A child-centered approach to policy formation, by addressing the needs of the most vulnerable and fragile, benefits all the creatures who share this planet. Recently, there has been a movement towards a more "child-centered" approach to defining laws and policies. A child-centered approach has a number of key components: (1) it approaches problems from the child's perspective, focusing on the child's own lived experience; (2) it incorporates children's voices and children's leadership; (3) it treats children as presumptively capable of participation rather than presumptively lacking in capacity; (4) it is inclusive, embracing all children and their families as our own; (5) it is developmentally sound, taking into account children's unique needs, and respecting their cognitive and physical development; (6) it is interdisciplinary, bringing all relevant expertise to bear on problems of children and youth.

One component is the integration of children's voices into law and policy formation. As lawyers and judges, we provide children with an opportunity to be heard in person or through appointed counsel. We create child-friendly courtrooms and evidentiary standards that make it easier for children's voices to be heard. As professors and activists, we invite children and youth to participate in conferences such as this one. At the Center on Children and the Law, which I direct, we post artwork of children, we invite children to attend and speak on panels, and we commission cinematographers to create videos documenting children's viewpoints. These steps are only a beginning. There is much to be learned about how to include children as real partners in policy-making and implementation. In my paper, I will focus on what I learned at the U.N. Special Session in May 2002 about enhancing the role of children and youth as leaders and collaborators in the development of a truly responsive, child-centered law and policy agenda.

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