Ethics and the Endangerment of Children's Bodies

"Our embodiment makes us vulnerable, and this can be especially true of children. This raises ethical questions of very particular, and particularly pressing, kinds. In this distinctive, illuminating and highly valuable book, Graf and Schweiger explore this terrain in contemporary, affluent, unequal societies. From eating to violence, they show how the treatment of children's bodies matters in terms of ethics and policy, and how a capability approach might be mobilized in response. The result is essential reading for anyone with an interest in ethics and the body, and in the place of children in frameworks of social justice." (Gideon Calder, Swansea University, Author: How Inequality Runs in Families (Policy Press, 2016), Co-editor: Ethics & Social Welfare, The Routledge Handbook of Childhood and Children (forthcoming 2018)

This book addresses the endangerment of children’s bodies in affluent societies. The authors give an account of three areas, which present different serious dangers: (1) body and eating, (2) body and sexuality, and (3) body and violence.

This book addresses the endangerment of children’s bodies in affluent societies. Bodily integrity is an important part of a child’s physical and mental well-being, but it can also be violated through various threats during childhood; not only affecting physical health but also causing mental damage and leading to distortions in the development of the self. The authors give an account of three areas, which present different serious dangers: (1) body and eating, (2) body and sexuality, and (3) body and violence. Through an in-depth examination of the available theoretical and empirical knowledge, as well as a thorough ethical analysis, the central injustices in the mentioned areas are identified and the agents with responsibilities towards children displayed.  The authors conclude by providing invaluable insight into the necessity of an ethical basis for policies to safeguard children and their bodies.