Understanding the Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Understanding the Childhood - Essay Example The essay "Understanding the Childhood" talks about the maladjustment or maltreatment during childhood which more often than not surfaces in some form of societal contradictions and confrontations in a child’s later life. The paper also discusses a school, not as an institution that had strict administrative procedures. The primary right of a child is not to be affected by social prejudices and legal structures, if any, that might be prevalent against their parents. All actions taken by legal, social, governmental and non-governmental bodies that might affect children must be taken with the best interest of concerned children in mind. United Nations has also declared in its charter that, except under extraordinary circumstances, therefore, State should ensure that a child is never separated from their parents. The world body has also been unambiguous in its censure of illegal human trading in children and has directed State to take the most stringent measures to prevent any su ch nefarious activity. A child, like any other adult human being, will be entitled to freedom of opinion, thought and expression and will also be entitled to their right of privacy. However, Helen Penn draws our attention to the fact that notions of childhood is not the same in every region of the world and varies much wider than can be conceived by a Westerner. Just to place her argument in proper perspective, hence she draws the example of poverty as viewed in the Western world and elsewhere.