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ABSTRACT

The past two decades of academic work, have cemented the idea that childhood is a social construction. As such, how children are conceptualized, educated, protected and interacted with differs from society to society, given the values inherent in each social construction. Culture, history and geography all influence the daily lives of children, and the inherent protections that children are offered in each society. This paper examines child protection provisions embedded in Brunei Darussalam by critically reviewing the sparse literature available. While much academic work has been done on Brunei Darussalam's political system and unique ideology, little has been written on the children of Brunei. Specifically, the focus taken is on the protections offered by the Bruneian legal and education systems, family and cultural institutions, and on Brunei's international commitments to ensuring child wellbeing.

Keywords: Brunei Darussalam, child, childhood, Islam, shariah law

Negara Brunei Darussalam is an Islamic sultanate with a particular vision for its people and children. Yet little academic work has focused on children in Brunei. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is central to the way children are viewed worldwide. It reflects an awareness that children are not just passive recipients of adult culture in need of protection and provision, but also beings in their own right who participate and interact with the world (Alderson 2012a, 2012b, 2010). This acknowledgement of childhood as a social construction means that childhoods differ significantly across cultures and nationalities.

How countries incorporate child protection into their policies reflects the way that children are conceptualized in that society. Countries with an explicit Islamic ethos, such as Brunei, have policies and principles that espouse Islamic values. Islamic values are articulated by government officials in the newspapers of Brunei. One example included the reporting of a speech given by an official from the Ministry of Religious Affairs on how Islamic education can act as a protective mechanism. The focus was to reinforce the importance of religious education. "When the children pray and are nurtured with good ethics such as respecting the elderly and being well-behaved, all the things that they aspire towards will become a reality. When such a shield is adequate, all sorts of challenges can be faced calmly" (Othman 2013). Islamic societies...

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