Från välfärdsrättigheter till humanitär rätt

Om Sveriges roll i arbetet med FN:s konvention om barnets rättigheter, 1978–1989

Abstract

From Welfare Rights to Humanitarian Law: Sweden and the Making of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1978–1989

This paper sheds light on the role played by the Swedish government in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It reveals how Sweden’s understanding of the concept and context of children’s rights changed from a focus on domestic welfare politics in the late 1970s to humanitarianism and children in armed conflicts in the late 1980s. This shift reflected wider trends in international human rights politics, but also stemmed from an intensified co-operation with Swedish and international NGOs who presented themselves as representatives of children’s need and interests.