Forgetting children born of war

the long version

"Forgetting Children Born of War is an intellectually sophisticated and critical examination of the ways in which children born of war have been neglected in global discourses on children and armed conflict and by human rights advocacy organizations. The book deftly navigates the complexity of children's human rights in international relations in a way that represents a rare blend of intellectual rigor and deep compassion for its subjects, without manipulating the emotionalism of the topic. R. Charli Carpenter's book provides both a rich and detailed empirical analysis of children born of war and makes significant theoretical contributions to international relations, especially to constructionist international relations theorizing. It should be read widely by scholars and practitioners."--Debra L. Delaet, Drake University. "In recent years, scholars of transnational advocacy have made great progress in explaining why some issues become ̀hot' while others languish in obscurity. This intriguing study by a leading scholar pushes the envelope one step further, demonstrating that politics among and between activists often shapes an issue's global salience. R. Charli Carpenter argues that children born of rape never received the attention they deserved because of disputes among international activists over how to ̀sell' the issue. By focusing on the complexities and nuances of victimhood, Carpenter opens up new and exciting analytical terrain."--JAMES RON, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. "Highlighting an important but overlooked human rights issue, R. Charli Carpenter's impressively researched book teaches much about the basis upon which rights claims are made, accepted, and acted. Her core insight, that rights advocacy is full of conflicts and that activists sometimes have reasons for keeping issues off the international agenda, applies well beyond the case of'children born of war.'"--Clifford Bob, Duquesne University, author of The Marketing of Rebellion: Insurgents, Media, and International Activism. "Excellent, well-documented, thoughtful, and comprehensive, Forgetting Children Born of War challenges the prevailing discourse on human rights and humanitarian intervention."--ALISON BRYSK, University of California, Irvine. Sexual violence and exploitation occur in many conflict zones, and the children born of such acts face discrimination, stigma, and infanticide. Yet the massive transnational network of organizations working to protect war-affected children has, for two decades, remained curiously silent on the needs of this vulnerable population. Focusing specifically on the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, R. Charli Carpenter questions the framing of atrocity by human rights organizations and the limitations these narratives impose on their response. She finds that human rights groups set their agendas according to certain grievances--the claims of female rape victims or the complaints of aggrieved minorities, for example--and that these concerns can overshadow the needs of others. Incorporating her research into a host of other conflict zones, Carpenter shows that the social construction of rights claims is contingent upon the social construction of wrongs. According to Carpenter, this pathology prevents the full protection of children born of war --Book Jacket.