Participatory, Multimodal Approaches to Child Rights Education in Global Contexts: Reflections on a Study with Schoolchildren in Uganda and Canada

Abstract

Globally, we have much to learn about fulfilling international child education rights, particularly in times of crisis, as evidenced during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Although the right of children to know their rights is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and other documents, such as the African Charter on Rights and Welfare of the Child, child rights are rarely introduced to children as part of their formal learning experience in school, because children are deemed unable to understand the concepts of rights (and responsibilities) (Alderson, 2008; Jerome, 2018). This lack of child-rights education means children are denied opportunities for empowerment: e.g., awareness and knowledge needed for self-advocacy, advocacy for other children with respect to the ability to claim and exercise their rights (Covell et al., 2017; Wabwile, 2016). Drawing on a case study conducted in Uganda and Canada, this paper discusses how participatory, empowering, multimodal, and contextually-responsive/sensitive approaches to child rights education enables children to engage meaningfully in learning about their rights.