Constitutional Rights for Children in Norway

Abstract

In this chapter, I present and discuss the status of children’s rights in the Norwegian Constitution. The Constitution was amended in 2014 when a new bill of rights was added. The provisions are strongly influenced by international law and, when it comes to children, especially by the general principle of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (crc). I give an overview of the process leading up to the decision to include children’s rights in the new bill of rights, and I present how different rights are protected, both directly and indirectly. The Constitution seeks to balance the right to participation and protection. Children are both considered a group in need of particular protection and recognized as right-holders with particular rights. I present the crc as a source of law at a semi-constitutional level in Norwegian law and explain the relationship between the crc and the Constitution. Finally, I discuss implementation and enforcement of children’s constitutional rights.