Sloth-Nielsen, Julia2014-10-282014-10-282012Sloth-Nielsen, J. (2012). Modern African childhoods: does Law matter? In M.D.A. Freeman (ed). Law and Childhood Studies: Current Legal Issues, volume 14, pp 117-1329780199652501http://hdl.handle.net/10566/1284http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199652501.doINTRODUCTION: This paper poses a question often aimed at lawyers, especially when they straddle a culturally diverse and contested terrain of human experience, such as the role of children and families in society: does law matter? The question is all the more pertinent in African contexts, due to the pervasive poverty, prevalence of practices harmful to children, and perceived inability of weak states to put legislative intentions into effect.enCopyright Oxford University Press. This is the author's final version and may be freely used provided that the source is acknowledged. No commercial distribution of this text is permitted.AfricaChild lawLegislationAfrican Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the ChildChildhoodBook chapter