Conference article

Children as Moral Subjects in Ethics of Migration

Jonathan Josefsson
Department of Thematic Studies – Child Studies, Linköping University, Sweden

Download article

Published in: Proceedings from The 49th Societas Ethica Annual Conference 2012; Theme: Ethics and Migration; August 23-26; 2012; Lucian Blaga University Sibiu; Romania

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 97:13, p. 147-160

Show more +

Published: 2014-04-24

ISBN: 978-91-7519-297-0

ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)

Abstract

In 2011 almost 50% of the displaced persons around the world were children but still there is a lack of migration research about children’s experiences; roles and perspectives (Special issue in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies Volume 37 Issue 8 2011). The aim of this paper is first and foremost to demonstrate how the leading theories and debates in the debate about ethics of migration lack a discussion of children as moral beings in their own right and that the debate is characterized by an adult discourse and traditional rooted assumptions about children. Secondly; the paper argues that the ethics of migration should acknowledge children as moral beings with agency; interests; rights and experiences in their own right. If children´s rights are acknowledged as morally relevant and if ethical theory should play a relevant role in the future debate of migration and policymaking then it is crucial to take a critical view on the construction of children as moral beings. Thirdly; the paper examines what the implications of future research in ethics of migration can be; if children are acknowledged as moral subjects in their own right.

In migration research children are traditionally represented as “passive; needy and different” (Ibid p. 1159). When children are in focus it is often in a fragmented fashion; with a perspective on children as future adults and as passive members of the family. However we can see an increased interest in challenging the traditional rooted assumptions about children in the latest years in the field of migration research as well as in some fields of philosophy. We have not yet seen a similar development in the ethics of migration. This paper analyses some of the leading contributions in the debate about ethics of migration represented by particularly Joseph Carens and David Miller that represents arguments for and against open and restricted borders. The analysis demonstrates how children to a great extent is invisible and that their roles; interests and experiences to a great extent have been left out of the debate. When children are mentioned it is in a fragmented fashion; in an adult-centric discourse; portraying children as reduced to family members and as vulnerable with a special need of protection and care. The paper suggests that more expanded conceptions of children will lead to new and important ethical questions. It concludes that many theoretical questions remain unanswered about the moral status of children in the ethical debate about migration and that the case of children point at gaps and weaknesses in some of the dominating theories about borders. A way to fill these gaps is to a greater extent take into account existing empirical research on children in migration and a growing philosophical research interest in children as moral subjects. The recognition of children as moral beings in their own right is put forward as one way of making ethical theory more applicable and relevant to policymaking and research of migration in the future.

Keywords

Ethics of migration; Moral status of children; Children rights; Joseph Carens; David Miller; Children as moral subjects

References

Archard and Macleod; 2002; “The Moral and Political Status of Children”; Oxford University Press.

Benhabib S; 2004; “The rights of others; Aliens Residents and Citizens”; New York: Cambridge University press.

Brennan and Noggle; 2007; “Taking responsibility for Children”; Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Brennan S; 2002; “Children’s Choices or Children’s Interests: Which Do their Rights Protect?”; Published in in The Moral and Political Status of Children: New Essays. Ed. Colin Macleod and David Archard. 53-69.

Crawley; H.; 2009; “No one gives you a chance to say what you are thinking”: finding space for children’s agency in the UK asylum system’”; Area; 42(2); 162–169.

Gardner K et al. (2012); Transnational Migration and the Study of Children: an Introduction; Journal of Ethnic and Migration studies; Routledge.

Griffin J; 2002; “Do Children have Rights?”; The Moral and Political Status of Children: New Essays; Ed Colin Macleod and David Archard. pp. 19–30.

Griffin J; 2008; “On Human Rights”; Oxford University Press.

Haikkola L; 2011; “Making Connections: Second-Generation Children and the Transnational Field of Relations”; Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; pp. 1201–1217.

Holzscheiter Anna; 2011; “Power of discourse or discourse of the powerful? The reconstruction of global childhood norms in the drafting of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child”; Journal of Language and Politics 10:1. iii; 137 pp. (pp. 1–28).

Huthins 2011; ‘They Told Us in a Curry Shop’: Child–Adult Relations in the Context of Family Migration Decision-Making; Journal of Ethnic Studies; Routledge.

James A ; Jenks C; Prout (1998); “Theorizing childhood”. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Mai Nick; 2011; Tampering with the Sex of ‘Angels’: Migrant Male Minors and Young Adults Selling Sex in the EU; Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies; pp. 1237–1252; Routledge.

Ní Raghallaigh; M.  and R. Gilligan (2010) “Active survival in the lives of unaccompanied minors: coping strategies; resilience; and the relevance of religion”; Child & Family Social Work 15(2); 226–237.

Kehily M; 2008; “An Introduction to Childhood Studies”; Open University Press.

O’Higgins A 2012; “Vulnerability and agency: beyond an irreconcilable dichotomy for social service providers working with young refugees in the UK”; New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2012 Summer; 2012 (136);79–91.

Oude; B.C. (2008) ’Precious Children in a heartless world’? The complexities of child trafficking in Marseille; Children & Society 22; 223–234.

Risse M; On the Morality of Immigration; Ethics and International Affairs; 22(3); 25–33.

Wall John; 2010; “Ethics in Light of Childhood”; Georgetown University Press.

White A; Caitri´ona Ni´ Laoire; Naomi Tyrrell and Fina Carpena-Me´ndez (2010); Childhood and migration: mobilities; homes and belongings; Childhood; Sage Journals.

White A; Caitri´ona Ni´ Laoire; Naomi Tyrrell and Fina Carpena-Me´ndez (2011); Transnational Migration and Childhood; Journal of Ethnic and Migration studies; Routledge.

Wyness Michael; 2012; “Childhood and Society” 2nd edition; Palgrave Mcmillan.

Appendix 1

Andersson; B.; 2008; Migrants and Work related Rights; Ethics and International Affairs; 22(3); 199–203.

Bader; V.; 2005; The Ethics of Immigration; Constellations Volume 12; No 3.

Boswell; C; 2008; The Elusive Rights of an Invisible Population; Ethics and International Affairs; 22(2); 187–192.

Carens; Joseph; 1987; “Aliens and citizens: The case for open borders”; Review of Politics; 49(2); 250–73

Carens; Joseph; 1999; “Reconsidering open borders”; International Migration Review; Winter99; Vol. 33 Issue 4; pp. 1082–1097; 16p.

Carens; Joseph; 1999; Reply to Meilaender: Reconsidering Open Borders”; International Migration Review; 33(4); 1082–1097.

Carens; Joseph; 2003; "Who Should Get In? The Ethics of Immigration Admissions;" Ethics and International Affairs 17.1 (Spring).

Carens; Joseph; 2008; Live-in Domestics; SeasonalWorkers; and Others Hard toLocate on the MapofDemocracy. Journal of Political Philosophy 16(4):419–445.

Carens; Joseph; 2005; The Integration of Immigrants. Journal of Moral Philosophy 2(1):29–46.

Carens; Joseph; 2004; A Contextual Approach toPoliticalTheory. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 7

Carens; Joseph; 2008; The RightsofIrregular Migrants. Ethics and International Affairs 22(2):163–186.

Carens; Joseph; 2000; Open Borders and Liberal Limits: A Response to IsbisterAuthor(s); International Migration Review; Vol. 34; No. 2 pp. 636–643; Published.

Freeman; M.; 1994; Nation-State and Cosmopolis: A Response to David Miller; Journal of Applied Philosophy; Vol. 11; No. 1.

Gibney; M.; 1996; Commentary: A Response to Carens and Weiner; International Migration Review; Vol. 30; No. 1; Special issue: Ethics; Migration and Global Stewardship; 198–202.

Holtug; N.; 2011; The cosmopolitan strikes back: a critical discussion of Miller on nationality and global equality; Vol. 4; No. 3; 2011; pp 147-163; Ethics and Global Politics.

Hovdal; M. M.; 2008; Immigration Policy and “Immanent Critique”; Ethics and International Affairs; 22(2); 205–211.

Ibster; J.; 1996; A liberal Argument for Border Controls: Reply to Carens; International Migration Review; Vol. 34; No. 2.

Jones; Charles; 1996; Revenge of the Philosophical Mole: Another Response to David Miller on Nationality; Journal of Applied Philosophy.

Laegard; Sune; 2007; David Miller on Immigration Policy and Nationality.

Meilaender; C. Peter; 1999; Liberalism and Open Borders: The Argument of Joseph Carens; International Migration Review; Vol. 33; No. 4; 1062–1081.

Miller; David; 2004; Holding nations responsible; Ethics; 114; 240–268.

Miller; David; 1993; In Defense of Nationality; Journal of applied philosophy; Vol. 10; No. 1.

Miller; David; 1997; Nationality: Some Replies; Journal of applied philosophy; Vol. 14; No. 1.

Miller; David; 2005; Against Global Egalitarianism’; Journal of Ethics; 9; 55–79.

Miller; David; 2005; Reasonable partiality towards compatriots; Ethical Theory and Moral Practice; 8; 63–81.

Miller; David; 2008; ’Immigrants; Nations; and Citizenship’; Journal of Political Philosophy; 16; 371–390.

Miller; David; 2008; ’Irregular Migrants: An Alternative Perspective’; Ethics and International Affairs; 22; 193-197.

Miller; David; 2010; ’Why Immigration Controls are not Coercive: a reply to Arash Abizadeh’; Political Theory; 38; 111-120.

Miller; David; 2011; On Nationality and Global Equality: A reply to Holtug’; Ethics and Global Politics; 4; 165-171.

O´Neill; John; 1994; Should communitarians be nationalists? Journal of Applied Philosophy

Seglow; Jonathan; 2005; The Ethics of Immigration; Political Studies Review; vol 3; 317-334.

Weiner; Myron; 1996; Ethics; National Soverignty and the Control of Immigration; International Migration Review; Vol 30; No1; Special issue: Ethics; Migration and Global Stewardship.

Wilcox; Shelley; 2009; The Open Borders Debate on Immigration; Philosophy Compass; 4/1.

Citations in Crossref