Children’s Rights and Research Ethics

Abstract

This journal has always featured papers presenting the findings of studies directly involving children, and it goes without saying that such research must always meet the highest ethical standards. Having a robust ethical framework in place to guide all stages of the research process is a necessary precondition for research involving children and sits comfortably with a children’s rightsbased approach which honours children’s right to be ‘properly researched’ (Ennew and Plateau, 2004) to be heard on matters that affect their lives, and to be protected in the process (Lundy and McEvoy, 2012). We are fortunate to have an abundance of thoughtful guidance on how to achieve this in practice (Alderson and Morrow, 2020; Graham et al, 2013; Graham et al, 2015). This guidance has been further enriched by an online repository – The Ethics of Research Involving Children (eric) – containing information and resources aimed not only at nurturing international exchange and collaboration, but also at inviting critical reflection on some of the more challenging and contested aspects of child research ethics in different cultural, social, religious, political and economic contexts (http://childethics.com). The International Charter for Ethical Research Involving Children, which has emerged from the eric project, reaffirms our shared commitment to the values and principles underpinning the study of children’s rights and childhood. It has already been signed by dozens of researchers, practitioners, organisations and projects from around the world who are committed to ‘undertaking and supporting high quality ethical research that is respectful of children’s human dignity, rights and wellbeing’. Such statements of principles and practical guidance need to be supported, however, by an institutional commitment and openness to implementing them in practice. We know that many researchers experience deep frustration when