Power, paternalism and children on the move

Abstract

Background: In this article I set out to critically explore how campaigning for the rights of " children on the move " impacts on paternalism in humanitarianism. My aim was to trace the development of the notion of children on the move, the productive power that permeates it, and the way this translates into paternalism in humanitarianism. Methods: I applied Foucauldian discourse analysis to textual data gathered from relevant publications. I mainly collected these texts from the Destination Unknown campaign, coordinated by Terre des Hommes, which serves as the case study for this research. In addition, I conducted and interview with a key Destination Unknown official in order to gather insights on the actual running of the campaign. I analysed the data through an existing conceptual framework informed by a Foucauldian perspective on power and paternalism, where the presence of power in humanitarianism is explained through the notion of paternalism. Results: Using this method, I describe the two main features of power within the field of children on the move: the power to shape reality through the construction of a relatively new concept and the power of moral and expert authority. Conclusions: In this article I show that these features of power can be explained in humanitarianism through the notion of paternalism, as exhibited by the various acts of imposition in the (supposed) best interests of the child. This research is a critique, rather than a criticism, of the efforts to promote the rights of children on the move, and shows how paternalism is an inherent ingredient of humanitarianism.