Ethics and the Endangerment of Children's Bodies

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.

1. Children’s Bodily Integrity: Ethics and Child Well-Being in Affluent Societies.- 2. Body, Nutrition and eating disorders.- 2.1. Childhood Obesity.- 2.2. Childhood and emotional eating.- 3. Body and Sexualisation.- 3.1. The Sexualisation of Childhood.- 3.2. Non-commercial Child Sexual Abuse.- 3.3. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.- 4. Body and Violence.- 4.1. Child Physical Abuse and Neglect.- 4.2. Violence between peers.- 5. Conclusions: Ethical Policies for Safeguarding Children.

Gunter Graf is Research Fellow at the International Research Centre for Social and Ethical Questions (IFZ) in Salzburg, Austria, and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research (CEPR) of the University of Salzburg, where he works in the project “Social Justice and Child Poverty”. His work primarily addresses political and social philosophy, with a focus on the capability approach and its relation to poverty and children. His previous publications include A Philosophical Examination of Social Justice and Child Poverty (2015).

Gottfried Schweiger is Senior Researcher at the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research, University of Salzburg, Austria, where he is the principal investigator of the project “Social Justice and Child Poverty”, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). He has published works on poverty, unemployment, recognition, social justice, tax justice, and justice in professional sports. His previous publications include Justice, Education and the Politics of Childhood (2016).