Children's Rights

2025/2026

Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

  • To supplement the student’s knowledge and skills in a way that may form part of the student’s choice of educational and professional profile

Learning objectives

Knowledge

  • International legal sources in relation to children's rights
    • International conventions dealing with children's rights
    • Application and analysis of case law from the European Court of Human Rights
    • Application and analysis of decisions from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
    • International legal literature
    • Basic principles in relation to children's rights, including
      • The best interest of the child
      • The principle of non-discrimination
      • The child's right to protection and care
      • The child's right to life and development
      • The principle of participation
  • General knowledge of the international development in children’s rights
  • Basic terms in relation to children's rights
  • Current challenges and issues in the field of child welfare
  • International bodies dealing with children's rights

Skills

  • Master the law, terminology and concepts of the field
  • Independently locate relevant legal sources in the field and applying them
  • Identify legal problems and risks  in relation to children's rights, including the legal consequences of violation
  • Present and explain an analysis of a theoretical or practical problem in a convincing and appropriate manner

Competences

  • Independently identifying legal issues in the field of children's rights
  • Apply relevant international legal sources as well as basic principles and concepts to address issues in the area
  • Being able to work problem oriented be independently composing a problem and working with it in a analytical and structured way
  • The ability to assess and analyze rules and consequences of the rules
  • Disseminate research-based knowledge and discuss scientific issues in the field of child-law based on children's rights

Type of instruction

  • Workshops

Students are expected to physically show up to class to participate in group and project work.

Extent and expected workload

  • 270 hours

Exam

Exams

Name of examChildren's Rights
Type of exam
Oral exam based on a project
20 minutes per student x participants in the group
ECTS10
Permitted aids
With certain aids:
The project can be brougth to the exam
Assessment7-point grading scale
Type of gradingInternal examination
Criteria of assessmentThe criteria of assessment are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures

Additional information

  • Child-law deals with issues that specifically concern children's legal position, often based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This means that the subject passes across different areas of law and focuses on the influence of international law on national law enforcement. Through six workshops, the students will work with practical and theoretical issues in identifying children's rights and how they are implemented in practice. The themes are frequently based on current issues regarding children and young people's meeting with the authorities. For instance concerning integration, crime, imprisonment, violation or abuse or other relevant problems.  In connection to this the students will also deal with questions regarding the legal consequences of a possible breach of children's rights. The six workshops are thematically dealing with children’s civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights

Facts about the module

Danish titleBørns rettigheder
Module codeJUR-SM-22-22
Module typeCourse
Duration1 semester
SemesterAutumn
ECTS10
Language of instructionEnglish
Empty-place SchemeYes
Location of the lectureCampus Aalborg
Responsible for the module

Organisation

Education ownerLL.M. (Master of Laws)
Study BoardStudy Board of Law
DepartmentDepartment of Law
FacultyFaculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

Litterature

NB literature will be announced 3 weeks prior to start on semester

  • International conventions, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • General Comments
  • A number of supplementary articles. To be announced