Research at Monash University, Australia, highlights how the language chosen by some journalists and academics to refer to the child and the child's experiences may both reflect and influence the position and rights accorded to children in the English-speaking world. The authors contend that the current low status of children, and lack of respect given to their rights, may be perpetuated through `textual abuse'. This article particularly highlights `textual abuse' discovered in academic literature focusing on children and children's rights. The child is objectified in language; denied his or her gender, which is essential to his or her identity; and the child's gender appears to be used to pursue adult agendas. The authors stress the importance for children of `critical language awareness' if children are to be granted the recognition, rights and respect to which they are entitled.
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