Suffer the Children

Richard Hiskes does what has been long overdue, offers a theory of human rights that is grounded on an idea of humans as they are, not as enlightenment elites imagined themselves to be. By centering the question of the rights of children, he offers us not only a theory of the human rights of children, but also a re-grounded theory of human rights for all. * Brooke Ackerly, Vanderbilt University *
This path-breaking rethinking of human rights through the lens of children's rights offers a refreshing combination of theoretical innovation and practical protection for the world's two billion children. Hiskes shows how children's rights expand our notions of the autonomy, relational identity, vulnerability, and interdependence of the human condition—at the same time as he extends the horizon of intergenerational accountability that is our best hope to confront the global environmental crisis. This is an essential reference for the next generation of human rights scholarship and planetary survival. * Alison Brysk, University of California, Santa Barbara *
In this cogently argued and elegantly written book, Hiskes makes the radical and controversial claim that children are human. Following the relational and emancipatory logic of human rights to its provocative conclusions, he presents a powerful and long overdue case for full citizenship for humans of all ages. From now on, we shall have to view the disenfranchisement of children for what it is: a violation of their human rights. * Michael Goodhart, University of Pittsburgh *
Richard Hiskes argues compellingly that children are rights-bearers entitled to be treated with respect for their dignity. Focusing particularly on their interests, as future generations, in environmental rights, Hiskes advocates for children to enjoy more rights to participation and to the rights of citizenship, even going so far as to advocate voting rights for children. The book is intellectually ambitious, clearly written, and persuasive. * Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, author of In Defense of Universal Human Rights *
The human rights of children are a paradox: they are almost universally recognized, but almost never treated on par with the rights of adults. In this thought-provoking and engaging book, Richard Hiskes provides a sturdy philosophical foundation for children's rights, and then describes how taking them seriously would not only protect children, but also the future generations of which children are the first representatives—and reinvigorate the human rights of adults as well. * John H. Knox, Wake Forest University School of Law *
In a unique, timely, provocative, and theoretically rich book, Richard P. Hiskes deploys the concepts of rationality and vulnerability to counter the claim that children cannot be rights bearers because they lack the requisite capacity to make rational choices. Arguing for shifting the burden onto society for the protection against actual and concrete harms, Hiskes contends that environmental human rights and the rights of children are inescapably linked on many levels. * Mahmood Monshipouir, Editor of Why Human Rights Still Matter in Contemporary Global Affairs *