Peer-reviewed article
TOWARDS A LOCALIZED UNDERSTANDING OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN AFRICA
Doris Kakuru ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This article introduces a special issue on violence against children and adolescents in Africa. It argues that violence prevention and response efforts must be grounded in local understandings of how violence occurs and is experienced. The author highlights that cultural and political norms in many African contexts give adults power over children's lives, sometimes enabling harm. The piece proposes 'childism' as a framework to challenge this adult-centered power structure and better understand and address violence against children.
Key points
- Violence against children is the fourth leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 19 in Africa, according to a 2021 UNICEF report.
- Violence prevention should be rooted in local, contextual understandings of how violence is inflicted and experienced.
- Sociocultural and political norms in Africa can create conditions where adults hold power over children and may inflict harm.
- The concept of 'adultism' (age-based power) is identified as a factor facilitating violence against children.
- 'Childism' is proposed as a framework to challenge adultism and contextualize understanding of violence against children in Africa.
Limitations
This is an introductory editorial framing a special issue conceptually; it does not present original data, specific country findings, or evaluate any intervention.
Abstract
Despite global and African continental efforts to curb violence against children (VAC), it is the fourth leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 19 in Africa, according to a 2021 UNICEF report. In introducing this special issue on VAC in Africa, I contend that violence prevention and response efforts ought to be situated in local understandings of how violence is inflicted and experienced. Sociocultural and political ideals and values present in Africa nurture an atmosphere in which adults exercise power over children’s lives and can inflict harm upon them if they choose. Age-based power (adultism) facilitates VAC. Therefore, this special issue is underpinned by childism as a framework for challenging adultism in an effort to achieve a contextualized understanding of VAC in Africa, and how best to respond to and ultimately prevent it.