More law and more rights: will children benefit?

This paper questions the view that children are just another disadvantaged group and that they need substantially more, or more varied, rights than they enjoy at present in the UK. It suggests there is a lack of appreciation of the consequences of current ‘rights’ advocacy, especially that which draws on the United Nations Convention on The Rights of The Child, and doubts whether a simple piling up of more rights will prove wise, workable or effective; rather it could become counter‐productive and even generate a backlash from individuals and wider society. More fundamentally, It argues that the pursuit of greater benefits for children, as children , is ultimately divisive and segregating at a time when our society needs an integrating philosophy that emphasises the mutual and reciprocal nature of relationships between citizens. It proposes, instead, an approach to rights which emphasises shared interests and participation as key factors in improving the welfare of children as developing citizens.