The Influence of Sociology on the Analysis of the Role of the Defender of Children and Adolescents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37387/ipc.v14i1.430Keywords:
legal sociology, child defender, childhood, human rights, protection systemAbstract
Sociology provides an essential framework for understanding the role of the Defender of Children and Adolescents (N.N.A.) within Panama’s protection system, as it enables an analysis that goes beyond the legal dimension and includes social, cultural, and institutional factors that shape performance. From this perspective, minors are not isolated subjects but part of a network of family, school, and community relationships affected by poverty, domestic violence, inequality, and exclusion. The theoretical contributions of Émile Durkheim and Pierre Bourdieu help explain how social structures, professional habitus, and symbolic capital influence the defender’s decisions and interactions with the judicial system. Moreover, critical sociology drawing from Marx, Wright Mills, and Freire encourages a transformative practice that challenges institutional dynamics reproducing inequality or revictimization. Finally, the sociology of childhood recognizes minors as social actors with voice and agency, strengthening the principle of the child’s best interests and promoting an active, ethical, and socially committed defense. Thus, sociology not only complements legal work but also humanizes it, guiding defenders toward a holistic understanding of human beings within their social context.
Downloads
References
Asamblea Nacional. (2022, 15 de febrero). Ley N.º 285 que crea el Sistema de Garantías y Protección Integral de los Derechos de la Niñez y la Adolescencia y dicta otras disposiciones. Gaceta Oficial Digital. Panamá. Recuperado de https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/29672/95152.pdf
Asamblea Nacional. (2023, 16 de noviembre). Ley N.º 409 que establece el Sistema Judicial de Protección Integral de Niñez y Adolescencia y dicta otras disposiciones. Gaceta Oficial N.º 29 911. Panamá. Recuperado de https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/29911/GacetaNo_29911_20231116.pdf
Bourdieu, P. (1997). Razones prácticas: Sobre la teoría de la acción (4.ª ed.). Anagrama. España. ISBN 978-84-339-0543-7.
Durkheim, É. (2001). Las reglas del método sociológico. Fondo de Cultura Económica. México. ISBN 978-968-16-2445-3.
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogía del oprimido. Siglo XXI Editores. España. ISBN 978-84-323-0621-1.
James, A., & Prout, A. (Eds.). (1997). Constructing and reconstructing childhood: Contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood. Routledge. Reino Unido. ISBN 978-0-7507-0596-7.
Marx, K. (2008). El capital: Crítica de la economía política. Siglo XXI Editores. España. ISBN 978-84-323-1766-8.
Mills, C. W. (2000). La imaginación sociológica. Fondo de Cultura Económica. México. ISBN 978-968-16-6794-8.
Naciones Unidas. (1989, 20 de noviembre). Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño. Adoptada por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas. Recuperado de https://www.un.org/es/documents/child-convention
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
1. The authors preserves the patrimonial rights (copyright) of the published works, and favors and allows their reuse.
2. The journal (and its contents) use Creative Commons licenses, specifically the CC BY NC SA type, where: "the beneficiary of the license has the right to copy, distribute, display and represent the work and make derivative works provided you acknowledge and cite the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor."
3. They can be copied, used, disseminated, transmitted and exhibited publicly, provided that: i) the authorship and the original source of its publication (magazine, publisher and URL, DOI of the work) are cited; ii) are not used for commercial purposes.
4. Conditions of self-archiving. Authors are encouraged to electronically disseminate the post-print versions (version evaluated and accepted for publication), as it favors their circulation and dissemination, increases their citation and reach among the academic community.
