JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 474 Irina van der Vet The United Nations Child Policy International Games of Morality and Power JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 474 Irina van der Vet The United Nations Child Policy International Games of Morality and Power Esitetään Jyväskylän yliopiston yhteiskuntatieteellisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston Agora-rakennuksen salissa Ag Delta B221.1 heinäkuun 6. päivänä 2013 kello 12. Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä, in building Agora, Ag Delta B221.1 on July 6, 2013 at 12 o’clock noon. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2013 The United Nations Child Policy International Games of Morality and Power JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN EDUCATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH 474 Irina van der Vet The United Nations Child Policy International Games of Morality and Power UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2013 Editors Jussi Kotkavirta Department of Education, University of Jyväskylä Pekka Olsbo, Harri Hirvi Publishing Unit, University Library of Jyväskylä URN:ISBN:978-951-39-5272-3 ISBN 978-951-39-5272-3 (PDF) ISBN 978-951-39-5271-6 (nid.) ISSN 0075-4625 Copyright © 2013, by University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä University Printing House, Jyväskylä 2013 ABSTRACT van der Vet, Irina The United Nations Child Policy. International Games of Morality and Power Jyväskylä Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä 2013, 179 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research ISSN 0075-4625; 474) ISBN 978-951-39-5271-6 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-5272-3 (PDF) Finnish summary Russian summary Diss. This study aims at providing a deep understanding of the United Nations child policy that has been emerging after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. Through its primary debating organs, the Security Council and the General Assembly, the United Nations brings the child into the agenda of “international peace and security”. The United Nations monitoring bodies, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporetur on the Sale of Children, Child prostitution and Child Pornography develop this agenda further in their communications with governments. Being an agent of hegemony, the United Nations transmits mostly Western ideologies on child welfare and imposes moral liability for the child on states. This evokes a bitter confrontation and international games of morality and power among the hegemons (mainly the European Union and the USA, with other wealthy countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and Australia backing) and the weaker peripheral states (Asia, Africa and Latin America). The latter, although publicly recognizing the westernized views, in reality do not stick to them, mostly due to lack of socio-economic and political resources. Ultimately, implementation of the United Nations policies within the latter countries does not take place in the Western hegemonic way. Internationally this becomes a reason for ‘naming and shaming’, endless debates on financial assistance, and questioning of state sovereignty. Keywords: the child, child policy, child rights, United Nations, General Assembly, Security Council, Special Rapporteur, Committee on the Rights of the Child. Author’s address Irina van der Vet P.O. Box 35 Ylistönmäentie 33 Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy FI-40014, University of Jyväskylä [email protected] Supervisor Professor Pekka Korhonen Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy University of Jyväskylä Reviewers Docent Mika Aaltola Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs Doctor Minna Rasku Filantropia Opponent Docent Mika Aaltola Finnish Institute of Foreign Affairs ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Finalizing this dissertation depended on support of many people. First, I would like to express my greatest appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Pekka Korhonen. For me he has been a sensei who shared his wisdom during the whole period of my studies. Many times he also was like a sport coach who trained me in writing, told me when to run faster and when to slow down in order to save my energy to finally reach the home stretch. Second, I would like to extent my warmest thanks to my family. Like nobody else, they supported me in very hard moments of my life, always believed in me and encouraged me to move forward. Third, I want to express my deep appreciation to my colleague, Marie-Christine Boilard, with whom I had the pleasure of preparing a UniPID course UN Ideas in World Politics: Debating Development and Child Rights. Fourth, I would like to thank all those who have ever commented on my papers at the conferences in Finland and abroad. Many of those comments were essential for my understanding of the subject. I deeply appreciate the golden opportunity given by the Kyoto Global Center of Excellence in family-related studies to present my papers in Asia and publish them in university proceedings. Special thanks go to Susanne Kalejaiye for her endless kindness: in a short time she did a great job in language checking of the manuscript and gave her constructive remarks on grammar and wording. Furthermore, I am grateful to CIMO foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation and Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at university of Jyväskylä for their financial assistance, which was crucial for my studies in Finland and for my fieldwork in the United Nations Office in Geneva. PICTURES PICTURE 1 United Nations child policy construction .............................................. 17 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PICTURES CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 9 1 CHILD POLICY AS AN ANALYTICAL CONCEPT ...................................... 22 1.1 Why child policy? ...................................................................................... 22 1.2 Development of child rights in the West ............................................... 27 1.2.1 Developing children’s autonomy ................................................. 30 1.2.2 Empathy roots .................................................................................. 39 1.2.3 Internationalisation of child rights in the twentieth century .... 41 1.3 The United Nations as a child policy generator ................................... 43 1.3.1 International government ............................................................... 43 1.3.2 United Nations as a world legislator ............................................ 44 1.3.3 The Convention on the Rights of the Child as normative act ... 45 1.3.4 The Convention on the Right of the Child as ideological foundation for child policy ............................................................ 47 2 RHETORICAL FORMATION OF CHILD POLICY ........................................ 51 2.1 Debating organs of the United Nations child policy: institutional context ........................................................................................................ 53 2.1.1 The Powers of the General Assembly ........................................... 53 2.1.2 The Security Council ....................................................................... 60 2.2 Conceptualisation of the United Nations child policy by debating organs: linguistic context ........................................................................ 62 2.2.1 Moral theme: sensitisation and sympathisation talks ................ 66 2.2.2 Security theme: securitisation talk and normative talk .............. 89 2.2.3 Economy theme .............................................................................. 107 3 THE UNITED NATIONS CHILD POLICY: THE LEVEL OF POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AMONG THE UNITED NATIONS AGENTS AND MEMBER STATES ............................................................................................. 120 3.1 Child rights monitoring bodies: institutional context ....................... 120 3.1.1 Committee on the Rights of the Child ........................................ 120 3.1.2 The United Nations Human Rights Council: Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography ....................................................................... 126 3.1.3 The labyrinth of inter-agency collaboration .............................. 130 3.2 Implication of United Nations child policy by child rights monitoring bodies: linguistic context .................................................. 131 3.2.1 Moral theme: sensitisation policy and sympathization policy ............................................................................................... 131 3.2.2 Security theme: securitisation policy and normative policy ... 139 3.2.3 Economy theme: unexpected twist in economy policy ........... 148 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................................ 153 TIIVISTELMÄ (SUMMARY IN FINNISH) ............................................................ 161 ǾdzǵȌǺdz (SUMMARY IN RUSSIAN) ................................................................... 162 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 164 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to provide a deep understanding of the United Nations child policy between 1989–2008, namely its formation, types and implications among United Nations actors and Member States. The Western conception of childhood