التطور والتغير في قوانين الأطفال وآثارها الاجتماعية

Abstract

This study tackled the development and change in child laws and their social effects in the Sudan during the period from 1956 Until 2007, with special reference to the social institutions which were involved in the field of childhood in the state of Khartoum. The study opted to follow-up the developments and changes which took place in the child laws, and to get acquaintance with the social effects resulting from these development, on the child, his/her family and society, and to know to what extent did the Sudan keep abreast with the international legislations in this field, and how to interact with them on both the official and public levels. The study relied on the intertwinement of a couple of methods. And they are: the historical method, together with the description, analysis and comparison, in addition to the use of both tools of the open interview and codified interview for the collection of the information. The significance of the study emanates from the importance of the child and his/her status in the society, which requires paying attention to his/her different issues, as we find that the social, economic and technological changes and transformations which occur in these societies engender changes in the youths and children, such changes, in turn, require the enactment of new laws or to amend or repeal them so that they may cope with all different kinds of such changes and transformations, and hence, resulting in clear effects on the child and his/her society. In its conclusion, the study arrived at a number of findings and recommendations: that the law is currently undergoing a continuous development on the level of legislation due to the Sudan's endeavour to cope with the international transformations and its implementation of the و international conventions and treaties. Nevertheless, the current child Act is vitiated by some points of weakness, inadequacies, and several lookholes in its applied and practical aspect, in spite of the state and the society's orientation towards the childhood fields, and their protection through the corporations and institutions which were endeavoring to find a better situation for children besides, raising society awareness, and changing its legal concepts and culture, in addition to its serious attempt to address child's issues and ascertaining their rights. Also, the development and change of the national laws resulted in the appearance of relevant modern institutions of child protection and welfare; such institutions were brought for through the urgent need to pay attention and care to the issue of childhood. Therefore, it is high time to pay much more attention to the child issues and to reconsider the laws and their activation through the mechanisms which provide better protection for the child and childhood and providing full welfare for children in all circumstances and conditions, consolidation of efforts and their mobilization for the participation and contribution in the resolution of children's issues