International recognition of children’s rights and its influence on early childhood education and care: The case of Zambia

This chapter explores the concept of children’s rights. Reference is made to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations 1989), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Organisation of African Unity 1990) and the Sociology of Childhood which positions the child as an active agent (Jenks 1982; Prout and James 1990). After discussing children’s rights in some depth and problematizing the concept of children’s rights in the international context, the chapter will end by briefly examining how the recognition of children’s right to education has influenced the provision of early childhood care and education in Zambia