Child

This article is about the human "child", plural "children". For other uses, see Child (disambiguation).
Children in Jerusalem
Children in Namibia

A child (plural: children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority figure, or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; it can also signify being strongly affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the Sixties."1

Contents

Definitions

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as "every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier."2Biologically, a child is anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood.

Attitudes toward children

Girls in Xinjiang in northwestern China

Social attitudes toward children differ around the world and have also changed over time. A 1988 study on European attitudes toward the centrality of children found Italy was more child-centric and Holland less child-centric, with other countries (Austria, Great Britain, Ireland, and West Germany) falling in between.3

Age of responsibility

For information regarding age of criminal responsibility, see Defense of infancy.
Population aged under 15 years in 2005

The age at which children are considered responsible for their own actions has also changed over time, and this is reflected in the way they are treated in courts of law. In Roman times, children were regarded as not culpable for crimes, a position later adopted by the Church. In the nineteenth century, children younger than seven years old were believed incapable of crime. Children from the age of seven were considered responsible for their actions. Hence, they could face criminal charges, be sent to adult prisons, and be punished like adults by whipping, branding or hanging.4

See also

References

  1. ^ "American Heritage Dictionary" (2007-12-07).
  2. ^ "Convention on the Rights of the Child". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Ratified by 192 of 194 member countries.
  3. ^ Rachel K. Jones and April Brayfield, Life's greatest joy?: European attitudes toward the centrality of children. Social Forces, Vol. 75, No. 4, Jun 1997. 1,239-69 pp. Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  4. ^ Juvenile courts
Preceded by
Toddlerhood		 Stages of human development
Childhood		 Succeeded by
Preadolescence
v • d • e
Human development: biological - psychological - Overview table
Pre- and perinatal
Infancy
Childhood
Adolescence
Adulthood
Theorists-theories

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  • This page was last modified on 2 December 2008, at 01:07.

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