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The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) establishes provisions and protections to which under-18s are entitled; establishing state obligations to ensure the realisation of children's rights for all, including 'disadvantaged' or 'vulnerable' groups. This article focuses on children in England and Wales deprived of their liberty in secure care for their own or others' protection or in custody as a result of criminal justice proceedings. It explores the proposition that secure care and custody exacerbate the existing vulnerabilities of detained children, especially in custodial settings where violence is institutionalised. Demonstrating consistent breaches of international standards, it considers the actions required to ensure the implementation of rights and effective accountability through policy and practice grounded in social justice priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy and practice in education, health, social care and youth justice have increasingly reflected the assumption that the more ‘risk factors’ a child experiences, the more likely s/he is to suffer ‘negative’ outcomes (including involvement in ‘anti-social’ or ‘criminal’ behaviour). This has led to an emphasis on targeting individuals considered ‘at risk’ through ‘early intervention’ programmes. At the heart of debate about such programmes is their intended objective: addressing the needs of any child or young person as they are identified?; prevention of offending based on assessment of ‘criminogenic’ risk factors?; or diversion from the formal criminal justice system for those already involved in ‘anti-social’ or ‘criminal’ behaviours? The needs and circumstances of children defined ‘at risk of offending’ are often the same as those of children ‘in need’. If they are considered ‘in trouble’ rather than ‘troubled’, emphasis is potentially shifted away from their personal development and well-being towards their regulation and criminalization. Drawing on primary research with practitioners implementing an ‘Early Intervention for the Prevention of Offending’ Programme for 8−13 year-olds in Northern Ireland, this article explores the tensions involved in ‘addressing need’ and ‘preventing offending’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Northern Ireland is in the early stages of transition from conflict, but progress is regularly affected by political and public discontent. A divided landscape, segregated and under-resourced communities are enduring legacies of ‘the Conflict’. Yet the political will to tackle social and community division, consult with and support communities has been lacking. Grounded in six communities most affected by poverty and the Conflict this paper illustrates the difficulties, tensions and contradictions experienced during transition and how, in the process of ‘change’, children and young people have been silenced, marginalised and demonised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Northern Ireland experiences relative peace and political stability, its violent past is normalized in murals and commemorations, the language and posturing of opposition politics, segregated communities and social life. In "post-conflict" Northern Ireland, children and youth disproportionately experience paramilitary-style attacks and routine sectarian violence. The violence of poverty and restricted opportunities within communities debilitated by three decades of conflict is masked by a discourse of social, economic and political progress. Drawing on qualitative research, this paper illustrates the continued legacy and impacts of violence on the lives of children and youth living in post-ceasefire Northern Ireland. It discusses the prominence of violence-sectarian, racist, political, "everyday," domestic, "informal"-in young people's accounts and the impacts on their safety, sense of belonging, identity formation, use of space and emotional well-being. The paper concludes by challenging narrow and reductionist explanations of violence, arguing the need to contextualize these within local, historical, political, cultural and material contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Set against the progress claimed since the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, this article reflects the reality of life for children and young people as they negotiate the aftermath of the Conflict in Northern Ireland. Their experiences of informal and formal policing, community and State control, demonstrate the need to understand the lasting impacts of the Conflict when developing policies and practices affecting their lives. At a crucial defining period in the devolution of justice and policing, and based on primary research conducted by the authors, the article establishes key rights-compliant principles central to reform of youth justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on primary research conducted with children in community and custodial settings in Northern Ireland. It provides an analysis of the social, economic and political context in which children's rights are routinely breached. Presenting consultations with children in the community, the article considers the impact of negative assumptions, disrespect and exclusion from participation. It demonstrates how the rights of socially excluded and marginalized children are consistently undermined. Further, it draws on the experiences of children and the views of staff in considering the rights of children in custody. In conclusion, the article explores the contributions of critical analysis and rights-based discourses within an increasingly punitive climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the deficit in effective implementation of children's rights in Great Britain. It is noted that although the region ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1991, its articles are not incorporated into domestic law and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is powerless to enforce recommendations or act on offensive breaches. Research conducted by the authors indicates that children and young people in Northern Ireland have no knowledge of the CRC or independent human rights institutions.