Children’s Rights

Professor Gerber’s interest in children’s rights is not limited to their right to learn about human rights. She has also undertaken work in the area of children’s immunisations, the rights of children in same-sex families, the work of the UN Children’s Rights Committee and how Australia is performing generally in protecting children’s rights.

Much of Professor Gerber’s contemporary research into children’s rights relates to birth registration and birth certificates, which are vital to young people realising their human rights and fully participating in society. Her work in this area has so far focused on birth certificates for Indigenous children and children with same-sex parents.

Publications and Conference Papers

Edited Book

Melissa Castan and Paula Gerber (eds) Proof of Birth (2015) Future Leaders, Melbourne

Book Chapters

Melissa Castan and Paula Gerber ‘The Need for Reform of Australia’s Birth Registration Systems‘ in Ron Levy, Molly O’Brien, Simon Rice, Pauline Ridge and Margaret Thornton (eds) New Directions for Law in Australia (2017) ANU Press.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Paula Gerber & Phoebe Irving Lindner, ‘Educating children about sexual orientation and gender identity post-marriage equality in Australia’ (2022) 5(2) Human Rights Education Review 4.

Paula Gerber & Aaron Timoshanko ‘‘Is the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child doing enough to protect the rights of LGBT children and children with same-sex parents?‘ (2021) 21(4) Human Rights Law Review 786.

Paula Gerber and Melissa Castan ‘Achieving universal birth registration for Indigenous Australians: Recommendations from the Victorian Law Reform Commission’ (2014) 8(14) Indigenous Law Bulletin.

Paula Gerber, Joanna Kyriakakis and Katie O’Byrne ‘General Comment 16 on the Business Sector and Children’s Rights: What is its standing and impact?’ (2013) 14(1) Melbourne Journal of International Law 93-128.

Paula Gerber ‘The new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: 10 Things you should know’ (2012) 37(2) Alternative Law Journal 111-115.

Paula Gerber, Andy Gargett and Melissa Castan ‘Does the right to birth registration include a right to a birth certificate?’ (2011) 29(4) Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights 429-454.

Melissa Castan, Paula Gerber and Andy Gargett ‘Indigenous Australians’ Access to Birth Registration Systems: A Breach of International Human Rights Law?’ (2011) 17(1) Australian Journal of Human Rights 55-89.

Andy Gargett, Paula Gerber and Melissa Castan ‘A Right to Birth Registration in the Victorian Charter? Seek and you shall NOT Find!’ (2010) 36(3) Monash University Law Review 1-32.

Paula Gerber ‘Making Visible the Problem of Invisibility’ (2009) 83(10) Law Institute Journal 52-55.

Paula Gerber ‘Making Indigenous Australians ‘Disappear’: Problems arising from our Birth Registration Systems’ (2009) 34(3) Alternative Law Journal 158-167.

Submissions to Parliamentary Inquiries

Submission on Birth Registration to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [with Plan International] (2013).

Submission to the Victorian Law Reform Commission Inquiry into Birth Registration and Birth Certificates (2012).

Submission to the Inquiry into whether Australia should sign the Third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (2012).

Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child re Australia’s compliance with Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (2011).

Conference Paper

‘10 things you should know about the new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child’ Castan Centre Symposium – Recent Developments concerning the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Melbourne.