Children's Rights in Central and Eastern Europe - A Comparative Analysis with a Spotlight on Lithuania

This open access book presents a thorough, multidisciplinary examination of children s rights in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with a focus on Lithuania. Pursuing a comparative approach, it explores various aspects of children s rights as established in constitutional, civil, administrative and criminal law in the region, while also discussing emerging issues. The book shares unique insights into the challenges and progress specific to individual CEE countries, many of which have undergone significant political, social, and legal transformations in recent decades.
The comparative analysis of practices and legal frameworks between Lithuania and other countries in the region and across various CEE countries is a key feature of the book. By comparing practices, case law and legal regulations across different CEE countries, it highlights both the diversity and the common challenges in the region. Moreover, such a comparative perspective is invaluable for policymakers, practitioners, and academics in terms of identifying best practices and learning from different countries experiences. The respective chapters offer evidence-based insights and recommendations to guide the development of more effective and rights-based approaches to child protection.
While aiming to enhance awareness and understanding of children s rights, the book also seeks to fill a gap in the literature by focusing on the CEE region, an area often underrepresented and overlooked in global discussions on children s rights. Bringing together a wide range of theoretical and empirical research from Lithuania and other CEE countries, it features contributions by researchers from the Baltic states, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania to provide a more holistic understanding of the challenges and advances in children s rights in the CEE region.

List of contents

Researching Children s Rights: Focus on Central and Eastern Europe and Spotlighting Lithuania.- Part I. Children's Rights Across Legal Frontiers in Constitutional, Civil, Administrative, and Labour Law.- 1. Constitutional Protection of Children's Rights in Central and Eastern European States.- 2. Children in Family Law Cases: Comparative Study of Custody and Contact Arrangements in Slovenia and Lithuania.- 3.    Hearing of the Child in International Child Abduction Cases: A Comparative Analysis of Practices in Poland and Lithuania.- 4. The Procedural Capacity of a Child in an Administrative Procedure: The Case of Slovenia and Croatia.- 5.    Employment of Adolescents and Children: Minimum Working Age in Lithuanian and Polish Law.- 6. Child Work in the Digital XXI Century: The Experience of the Baltic States.- Part II. Exploring Children's Rights in the Realm of Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure.- 7.    Vulnerability of child victims in criminal procedure in EU: cases of Lithuania and Croatia.- 8.    Children s Victimisation in Lithuania: Context, Forms and Prevalence.- 9.    Understanding Juvenile Delinquency in Lithuania: From Misconceptions to Negative Attitudes.- 10. Peculiarities of Criminal Liability of Children in Lithuania.- 11. Ensuring and Implementing Individual Assessments of Adolescents in Criminal Proceedings in Lithuania and Croatia.- 12.    Drug Offences Committed by Minors in Lithuania and Poland: Penal Responses and the Rights of Underaged Offenders.- 13. Community Sanctions for Children in Lithuania and Romania: Diverging Paths of Juvenile Justice.- 14.Criminological Analysis of Juvenile Resocialisation Measures in the Lithuanian Probation Service.- Part III. Emerging and Cross-Cutting Issues.- 15. Advancing Children s Privacy and Data Protection Rights: Emerging Data Protection Trends and Challenges in Selected CEE Countries.- 16. Parenting in the Digital Age: Addressing the Sharenting Phenomenon in Central and Eastern Europe.- 17. Towards Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities: Developments and Challenges in Lithuania and Poland.- 18. Education Rights of Children Belonging to National Minorities in the Baltic States.- 19. Challenges to the Protection of the Child s Right to Health.

About the author

Dr. Agnė Limantė is a chief researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. She has received an MA in EU law from King’s College London and a PhD degree from Vilnius University, Lithuania. Her particular research interests include human rights, family law and private international family law. Overall, after defending her PhD thesis, Dr. Limantė has published over 40 scientific papers in national and international journals or as chapters of books.
Dr. Rūta Vaičiūnienė is a senior researcher and the Head of the Criminological Research Department at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. Her research interests include sociology of imprisonment, sociology of gender with a focus on domestic violence, critical criminology, youth justice, and correctional programming. She is the author of more than 20 scientific papers, including research articles in highly ranked journals. Dr. Vaičiūnienė has gained different research experience in more than 10 national and international research projects.

Summary

This open access book presents a thorough, multidisciplinary examination of children’s rights in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with a focus on Lithuania. Pursuing a comparative approach, it explores various aspects of children’s rights as established in constitutional, civil, administrative and criminal law in the region, while also discussing emerging issues. The book shares unique insights into the challenges and progress specific to individual CEE countries, many of which have undergone significant political, social, and legal transformations in recent decades.
The comparative analysis of practices and legal frameworks between Lithuania and other countries in the region and across various CEE countries is a key feature of the book. By comparing practices, case law and legal regulations across different CEE countries, it highlights both the diversity and the common challenges in the region. Moreover, such a comparative perspective is invaluable for policymakers, practitioners, and academics in terms of identifying best practices and learning from different countries’ experiences. The respective chapters offer evidence-based insights and recommendations to guide the development of more effective and rights-based approaches to child protection.
While aiming to enhance awareness and understanding of children’s rights, the book also seeks to fill a gap in the literature by focusing on the CEE region, an area often underrepresented and overlooked in global discussions on children’s rights. Bringing together a wide range of theoretical and empirical research from Lithuania and other CEE countries, it features contributions by researchers from the Baltic states, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, and Romania to provide a more holistic understanding of the challenges and advances in children’s rights in the CEE region.

Product details

• Assisted by: Agn_ Limant_ (Editor), Agne Limante (Editor), Agnė Limantė (Editor), Ruta Vaiciunien_ (Editor), Vaiciuniene (Editor), Rūta Vaičiūnienė (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 02.12.2025
• EAN: 9783032070913
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3207091-3
• No. of pages: 404
• Illustrations: XVIII, 404 p. 23 illus., 11 illus. in color.
• Series: European Union and its Neighbours in a Globalized World
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > International law, foreign law; Internationales Recht, Human Rights, Rechtsvergleichung, Open Access, Inclusive Education, Labour law, Civil Law, Family Law, Constitutional Law, Adolescents, Administrative Law, Children's Rights, child labour, Children's Health, children's safety, CEE countries, children's privacy and data protection, Sharenting, parental responsibilities, criminal liability of minors, drug offences