Institutionalizing the Right of the Child to Play: Comparative Perspectives on Law, Policy, and Curriculum Frameworks

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division L - Section 1: Governance, Politics, and Legal Issues Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

This study investigates how the right of the child to play, as outlined in Article 31 of the UNCRC, is institutionalized across legal, policy, and curricular frameworks in South Korea and the United States. Using Seoul and New York City as policy innovator sites, it examines how global child rights norms are translated into national frameworks and localized through municipal experimentation. Findings reveal persistent gaps between rhetorical commitments and enforceable guarantees, with play frequently framed as a developmental tool rather than as a legal right. The study finds fragmented governance and legal gaps, urging the codification of play as a right and greater coordination, political will, and child participation. It also positions play as a matter of equity and intergenerational justice.

Author

• Ji Yeon Kim, Seoul National University