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Social Welfare or Moral Warfare? : Popular Resistance against Children’s Rights and Juvenile Justice in Contemporary Russia

Höjdestrand, Tova LU (2016) In International Journal of Children's Rights 24(4). p.826-850
Abstract
Since the mid-2000s, Russia has increased its efforts to strengthen the legal rights of children and to improve the systems of social assistance to vulnerable families in in line with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. The reform drive has met fierce resistance by a grassroots mobilization in defence of ‘traditional Russian family values’. Child rights are conceived of as weapons in a Western moral war against Russia, but simultaneously, the popular appeal of the campaign stems from a profound distrust in Russian state administrators, who purportedly use the CRC for personal gain. This paper suggests that this disbelief makes the protesters locate notions of citizenship primarily to the intimate social sphere, prioritizing... (More)
Since the mid-2000s, Russia has increased its efforts to strengthen the legal rights of children and to improve the systems of social assistance to vulnerable families in in line with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. The reform drive has met fierce resistance by a grassroots mobilization in defence of ‘traditional Russian family values’. Child rights are conceived of as weapons in a Western moral war against Russia, but simultaneously, the popular appeal of the campaign stems from a profound distrust in Russian state administrators, who purportedly use the CRC for personal gain. This paper suggests that this disbelief makes the protesters locate notions of citizenship primarily to the intimate social sphere, prioritizing ‘parental rights’ rather than ‘civil rights’ defined by the state-citizen relationship. It is also suggested that the confidence of citizens in their own state administration must be considered if the Convention is to be successfully implemented. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Child rights, UNCRC, social policy, Russia, nationalism, corporal punishment, juvenile justice, Social anthropology
in
International Journal of Children's Rights
volume
24
issue
4
pages
25 pages
publisher
Brill
external identifiers
  • wos:000390244000007
  • scopus:85008386272
ISSN
1571-8182
DOI
10.1163/15718182-02404007
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0c03aabb-361a-4382-b926-e3b7560be285
date added to LUP
2016-04-28 17:35:58
date last changed
2024-04-18 22:16:24
@article{0c03aabb-361a-4382-b926-e3b7560be285,
  abstract     = {{Since the mid-2000s, Russia has increased its efforts to strengthen the legal rights of children and to improve the systems of social assistance to vulnerable families in in line with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. The reform drive has met fierce resistance by a grassroots mobilization in defence of ‘traditional Russian family values’. Child rights are conceived of as weapons in a Western moral war against Russia, but simultaneously, the popular appeal of the campaign stems from a profound distrust in Russian state administrators, who purportedly use the CRC for personal gain. This paper suggests that this disbelief makes the protesters locate notions of citizenship primarily to the intimate social sphere, prioritizing ‘parental rights’ rather than ‘civil rights’ defined by the state-citizen relationship. It is also suggested that the confidence of citizens in their own state administration must be considered if the Convention is to be successfully implemented.}},
  author       = {{Höjdestrand, Tova}},
  issn         = {{1571-8182}},
  keywords     = {{Child rights; UNCRC; social policy; Russia; nationalism; corporal punishment; juvenile justice; Social anthropology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{826--850}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Children's Rights}},
  title        = {{Social Welfare or Moral Warfare? : Popular Resistance against Children’s Rights and Juvenile Justice in Contemporary Russia}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/17624806/Social_Welfare_or_Moral_Warfare_Hojdestrand_Tova_2016.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/15718182-02404007}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}