Justice Through Language and Expression

Sor Juana wielded language and writing as tools for intellectual authority and defense against criticism; she used her pen to claim space and demand recognition. For children's rights, this concept emphasizes that language capacity and expressive freedom are essential for justice. Children who cannot articulate abuse, neglect, or discrimination remain trapped; those denied language development become doubly vulnerable. Language justice for children includes ensuring multilingual access to services, supporting non-verbal communication methods, teaching children terminology for their bodies and experiences (especially protective language about abuse), and protecting their right to express themselves through art, writing, and speech. It also means adults listening carefully to children's language, understanding that children may communicate distress indirectly, and validating their attempts to name injustice. Sor Juana's legacy reminds us that language is power: those who control language control narratives, define reality, and access justice systems. Children's rights require deliberate investment in their communicative capacity and fierce protection of their expressive freedom, ensuring they have words to name what happens to them and channels through which those words will be heard and honored.