David Archard is Professor of Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. He is author of Sexual Consent and The Family: A Liberal Defence; and co-editor of The Moral and Political Status of Children and Procreation and Parenthood: The Ethics of Bearing and Rearing Children.

• 1. John Locke’s children Part 1: Childhood 2. The concept of childhood 3. The modern conception of childhood Part 2: Children’s rights 4. Children’s moral rights 5. Liberation or caretaking? 6. Arbitrariness and incompetence 7. The wrongs of children’s rights 8. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 9. Children under the law 10. Children’s rights to vote and sexual choice Part 3: Children, parents, family and state 11. Bearing and rearing 12. Family and state 13. Parental rights to privacy and autonomy 14. Collectivism 15. The problem of child abuse 16. Conclusion: a modest collectivist proposal. Index

Praise for previous editions:'An exhaustive and meticulously comprehensive examination of children's rights from both a moral and a legal perspective…a fine basic text, and a worthwhile introduction to the complex issue of children's rights.' Metapsychology'This is an intellectually stimulating and sometimes controversial philosophical analysis of children and their rights of both general and professional interest.' - Journal of the Institute of Health Education'The argument is clear, it is well reasoned and balanced … this is a thought-provoking text and as such a highly recommendable read. Its audience could range from policy-makers to sixth-formers.' - Children & Society