Young people, legislation and rights

Abstract

My research was part of a project which involved eight other members. The main theme of the whole research project was 'The Status of Young People in Maltese Society'. Many of the issues in this project were intended to give an explanation of youth which examines the concepts of dependence and independence and which shows how people gain citizenship in our society. The general aim of my research project was to understand the place that rights and legislation have in the lives of young Maltese people, and also to find out what they think about a specific section of the law that is especially intended for young persons in Malta. This also included the perceptions of these young people on a number of related material, like the Juvenile Court, the penal institutions and so on. Another objective in my research was to find out from the young persons themselves, what they thought about the idea of introducing tuition on these subjects in schools. I also felt a need to focus on young people's experiences when faced with the Law. Finally, I also included material from the United Nations Convention on the 'Rights of the Child' 1989, which also deals with the rights of young people up to the age of eighteen.