Anna Sonander

Research Areas

• Implementation of children's rights in practice
• The scope of professional action and its impact on the realization of children's rights
• Children’s and young people’s experiences of legal processes in custody disputes
• Safety-promoting practices in schools

My research focuses on how professionals working with children are influenced by—and respond to—factors such as legislation, organizational culture, and available resources. I am particularly interested in how professional decisions and actions shape the practical implementation of children's rights, and how a rights-based perspective is developed and communicated within different organizations.

Another key area of interest is how children and young people experience legal processes, especially in the context of custody disputes. My work aims to highlight how children perceive their involvement in legal proceedings that directly affect their lives, and to examine the extent to which their voices are acknowledged—or neglected—in practice.

I am one of the coordinators of the Child Rights Institute (CRI) at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Lund University. CRI is a cross-disciplinary network with around 50 members from six faculties and universities across Sweden and the Nordic region.
 

Ongoing Research:

The dynamic life of Child Rights in three legal cultures. A comparative analysis of child custody cases

(Forte) 

In collaboration with Anna Lundberg (PI), Monica Lindbekk, and Rustam Urinboyev, this project explores children's rights in custody cases through a comparative lens across three legal cultures: Sweden, representing a typical Western legal tradition; Egypt, shaped by Sharia law; and Uzbekistan, characterized by a hybrid legal culture combining Soviet, Western, and Islamic elements. The aim is to generate new insights into how children's rights are understood and applied by professionals working to ensure these rights are considered in custody disputes. The project examines how these interpretations affect children's conditions and rights, as well as broader societal development. Through extensive empirical material and in-depth analysis, the study identifies alternative understandings of children's rights and seeks to promote greater respect and protection for those rights in practice.
 

Better Schools and Services Through Knowledge from Children

(Nordplus Horizontal 2025) 
This project aims to ensure that future professionals in education, care, and social services across the Nordic and Baltic regions are equipped with knowledge directly from children and young people about what they perceive as safe and meaningful. By integrating these perspectives into vocational education, the project contributes to more relevant and secure environments for children and youth.

Innovative methods are being developed to incorporate children's voices into teaching and course materials, enhancing students' ability to engage with young people in a responsive and needs-based way. The project is a collaboration between the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Förändringsfabriken in Norway, Lund University, and Københavns Professionshøjskole. Through joint workshops and inspiring materials, new teaching approaches are created and shared across educational institutions in the region.

Child Rights in Municipal Decision-Making

This study investigates how legal obligations are expressed in the work of municipal services by analyzing how children's rights and perspectives are understood, applied, and articulated in practice. It also examines how the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Swedish law has influenced municipalities' approaches and their views on rights-based work with children.

In the Shadow of the Legal Process – A Study on Children’s Experiences of Custody Disputes

(Allmänna Barnhuset) 
This study explores how children and young people experience the legal process initiated when a parent files a custody, residence, or visitation claim in court. The focus is on illuminating the perspectives and lived experiences of children—an aspect often missing in both research and rights advocacy. The goal is to contribute new knowledge for a more child-centered and legally secure process, where the child's best interests and participation are prioritized. Interviews with youth aged 12–18 will be conducted to develop procedures that better align with children's needs and well-being. The study begins in 2026.

The Best Interests of the Child – Possibilities and Challenges

(Justa Gardi Foundation) 

Together with Lina Ponnert, I examine how the principle of the best interests of the child is interpreted and applied in practice, especially when balancing the needs of individual children against those of a group. Based on interviews with schools and residential care homes (HVB), the project investigates how these institutions reason around and manage norm-breaking behavior among teenagers that may negatively affect the group. A particular focus is placed on the practical implications of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, now being part of Swedish law.