A Systematic Review of Definitions of Rights Education for Children: Children's Rights Education (CRE), Children's Human Rights Education (CHRE), and Other Rights Education Subtypes

Overview & Synopsis

For those working in the field of rights education, there is a broad understanding of what rights education encompasses and why it is significant, but there do not appear to be any agreed definitions of subtypes of rights education aside from human rights education (HRE) (which itself is contested). This lack of conceptual clarity makes it difficult to be certain that what is being delivered within a 'rights education' framework fulfils its obligations. To address this gap, this systematic review sought to understand how rights education for children has been defined in existing academic research. This review used seminal philosopher H.W.B. Joseph's rules for defining terms and an assessment was made of each definition against these rules. Findings confirm that few of the papers incorporate a specific definition of rights education for children, or its subtypes, such as children's rights education (CRE) or children's human rights education (CHRE). The analyses conducted in this article point to the need for definitional clarity for each of the terms CRE, CHRE and rights education for children. As a way forward, a definition of rights education for children is proposed as an overarching term positioned within international human rights law, which encompasses several specific subtypes that each use a different international human rights text to anchor its content, methods, approach and rationale. A new set of criteria to devise and assess definitions is also provided.