Postkolonialism inom barnrättsarbetet : En analys av Rädda Barnens handbok för religiösa ledare om sexuella och reproduktiva rättigheter

Sammanfattning: This study is centered around Save The Children Swedens Religious’ leaders Handbook on Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights. The thesis purpose is to understand the issues that may occur when a western actor preform child rights work in a non-western country. One of the main question is wether it is possible to ignore the history of colonialism and harmful social power structures when child rights work is done? I will furthermore try answer the question how to preform a child rights work globally without reproduce or reinforce already existing social power structures. The main theoretical views are post-colonialism and utilitarianism which are used to understand how to protect children while still being able to criticizing the structural power discourse that surround human and child rights work. John Stuart Mill’s rule utilitarianism and Peter Singer’s preference based utilitarianism focuses on the consequences of action, or non action. Ania Loomba’s view on post-colonialism will help shed a light on the social issues and structural defined parts of Save The Childrens Religious’ leaders Handbook on Adolescent Sexual & Reproductive Health and Rights. Furthermore Elizabeth Povinelli and Elena Namli fills the purpose of explaining three, for this thesis, important factors within the postcolonial perspective and the human rights discourse - freedom, universalism and human dignity. The study finds some postcolonial tendencies within Save The Childrens Religious leaders Handbook. The result of those findings shows that the colonial history can effect todays child rights work, even if the intention is defined as good. Even though the child rights work might have some positive results for the moment, I suggest that we should focus on the bigger picture and foresee negative consequences for the children which are brought up within a society that is being affected by their colonial history. The thesis concludes that if there is not in immediate danger the post colonial perspective should be a part of both the planning and execution within the child rights work.