When children become migrants: Children detained in Mexico and the dislocation of the human rights discourse

Abstract

The aim of this article is to argue and explain the dislocation of the human rights discourse with regard to migrant children detained in Mexico. First, it looks theoretically at the dislocation of the human rights discourse regarding migrants in general. Second, it analyzes the construction of the discourse of migrant children's human rights starting from three premises: 1) children have rights and need states to adopt special measures for their protection due to their age; 2) all children have all rights; and, 3) children can only be detained as an absolutely exceptional measure of last resort. Third, the author delves into the normative and practical dislocation of the discourse about migrant children's human rights in Mexico. And fourth, she proposes three possible alternatives (legal, practical, and political) for articulating the discourse of migrant children's human rights to protect them and defend their rights.