SAGE Journals Online

This article analyses young Lithuanian students' (aged 12-14) perceptions of the importance and existence of their rights at home and at school. The analysis includes a comparison of rights existence with rights importance, a comparison between the importance and existence of the various rights in both the home and school setting and a comparison between the findings in Lithuania with those for the composite of the other 20 countries participating in the cross-national research. The research revealed an exceptionally problematic situation for children's rights implementation in Lithuanian schools. Greatest discrepancies between rights' existence and importance in the school are reported by females and students of parents with high levels of education. The rights to self-determination, dissociation when one needs, freedom and respect for thoughts and opinions, protection from hurting one's feelings, living independently when one is ready were estimated by Lithuanian students as the most insufficiently realized for a child in the school. Respect for a child's personality, opinion and feelings and his/her autonomy are the main problems children experience in Lithuania and various other countries as well.

This paper studies the evolution of ethnic minorities and their relations with Lithuanian nationals. With the creation of independence, the situation of ethnic groups - like that of mixed-race groups - changed enormously. Russians, Byelorussians, Ukrainians and other families who had entered Lithuania principally when it was under Russian administration had to face the dilemmas of whether they should live in the new Byelorussian state or in Russia, what citizenship they should be applying for and how to rediscover their ethnic identity. Poles, Jews, Tartars, Germans and Karaims had all lived for centuries in Lithuania. Their roots could be retraced over several ages in the economy and culture of Lithuania. In spite of that, they still have many problems regarding their ethnic identity, culture and education. In the case of the indigenous Lithuanian population, the problem was one of forming a majority after previously functioning as a semi-minority.