About
Karl Hanson is Full Professor of Public Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva and Director of the Interfaculty Centre for Children's Rights (CIDE). He serves as Scientific Director of both the Interdisciplinary Master in Children's Rights (MIDE) and the Master of Advanced Studies in Children's Rights (MCR), and is President of the Steering Committee of the Children's Rights European Academic Network (CREAN). He also serves as an editor for the journal Childhood (Sage) and as a member of the Scientific Council of the National Observatory for Child Protection (ONPE) in France.
Hanson received his doctorate in law from Ghent University in Belgium, where he previously worked as a researcher at the Centre for Children's Rights and as a senior researcher at the Centre for Human Rights. His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to interdisciplinary approaches to children's rights across legal, social, and anthropological perspectives.
Hanson's research focuses on the interdisciplinary field of children's and childhood rights studies, with particular emphasis on theoretical frameworks, child labor and working children, juvenile justice systems, and the role of independent national institutions for children's rights. His work bridges the gap between academic theory and practical implementation, exploring how children's rights can be understood as 'living rights' that are actively interpreted and claimed by children themselves in diverse cultural contexts. His scholarship demonstrates how children's rights frameworks must account for children's agency and participation beyond traditional protection paradigms.
Analysis of Hanson's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on theoretical development in children's rights, particularly the 'living rights' approach that emphasizes how children actively interpret and claim their rights in practice. His work increasingly examines the tensions between global rights frameworks and local implementations, with attention to children's agency in contexts such as child labor, juvenile justice, and political participation. The interdisciplinary nature of his scholarship spans law, anthropology, sociology, and political science, reflecting his commitment to understanding children's rights as situated within complex social systems.
Hanson has supervised numerous doctoral and master's students whose work reflects his interdisciplinary approach to children's rights. His students have explored diverse topics including children's participation in legal systems, child labor rights, transitional justice for children, child protection systems, and the implementation of children's rights in various national contexts. This mentoring reflects his commitment to developing the next generation of children's rights scholars and practitioners.
As Director of the Interfaculty Centre for Children's Rights, Hanson leads a multidisciplinary team that bridges law, social sciences, and humanities to advance children's rights research and education. The Centre serves as a hub for international collaboration on children's rights issues, connecting academic research with practical implementation through partnerships with national and international institutions working on children's rights.
