Children and Law

Abstract

This article examines the intersection of children’s rights and Islamic law across both historical and contemporary contexts. Islamic law recognises that, because of children’s lack of agency and their consequent vulnerability, their interests must be afforded special protection. Legal systems in contemporary Muslim jurisdictions have come to encompass various measures designed to safeguard children’s particular needs. These measures include detailed rules on the rights and duties of parents as their children’s custodians and guardians, schemes for caring for parentless children, and formulations of children’s rights that are to be protected through public measures.