Protection of Intellectual Property and Attribution

Sor Juana fought to maintain her intellectual property and authorship in an era when women's writings were often attributed to male intermediaries or appropriated without recognition. For children, this concept addresses the theft of intellectual labor—when children's ideas are exploited, when their work is unpaid, when their creative contributions are claimed by others. Child labor is often invisible in intellectual domains: children's writing used without consent, their innovations appropriated, their artistic work commercialized without compensation or credit. The right to intellectual property protection means children retain ownership of their ideas and creations, receive attribution for their work, and cannot be exploited for intellectual labor. This becomes increasingly important as digital platforms enable easy appropriation and replication of children's creative output. Sor Juana's insistence on being recognized as author of her works models the importance of attribution and ownership. For children, this right means they must give informed consent before their work is used, receive proper credit, and understand how their intellectual contributions are valued. It protects against forms of exploitation that leave no visible marks but deeply damage children's sense of agency and self-worth.