Parental Consent and Children’s Rights in Europe: A Balancing Act

Abstract

Three recent European Court of Human Rights cases of discrimination in education against Roma raise the question of what conditions must be present for parents to give ‘meaningful’ consent in decisions pertaining to their children and whether such consent can be meaningful when a fundamental freedom is at stake. The paper investigates the nature and limits of parental consent and makes the case for a ‘threshold’ above which respect for the dignity of the parents requires meaningful consent for any decision pertaining to their children and below which respect for the human rights of the child prohibits interference with the exercise of a right. Identifying the exact location of the threshold in any specific case requires local‐level public deliberation; insisting that decisions meet those threshold conditions, and enforcing their recognition, is a job for the Court.Education, Human rights, Agency, Cultural liberty, Roma,

Principio Antidiscriminatorio Y Determinación De La Desventaja

“…Lo destacable de estos casos es que el Tribunal europeo se plantea la capacidad y la agencia de los padres teniendo en cuenta el contexto de discriminación y las condiciones de marginalidad severa en las que éstos toman decisiones. En este contexto, Kosko (2010) propone, como cri-. En este contexto, Kosko (2010) propone, como criterio interpretativo, la idea de umbral.…”

“…En este contexto, Kosko (2010) propone, como cri-. En este contexto, Kosko (2010) propone, como criterio interpretativo, la idea de umbral. En las sentencias examinadas, el tedh rechaza el consentimiento paterno y lo hace porque, de un lado, considera que no está claro que los padres, personas extremadamente marginalizadas, consientan de una forma libre de coacción y con pleno conocimiento de las consecuencias.…”

Education, Social Justice and School Diversity: Insights from the Capability Approach

“…Kosko (2010) asks us to consider how much critical agency parents have in making such decisions; cultural preferences, for example, should not harm a child's preconditions for autonomy.22 Note that what is at issue in this paper is not so much managing diversity and questions about assimilation or 'politics of difference' etc (c.f. Macedo, 1995 discussing Young) but how greater awareness of poverty can be fostered, along with the desire for working towards equality of rights and human development for those who choose to do so.…”