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Primary Submission Category: Social/relational factors

Out of the mouths of babes: changing policy and practice around normative acts of violence in childrens’ lives in LMICs

Authors:  Susan Elliott, Tobias Hecker, Karen Devries, Katharina Gobmann,

Presenting Author: Susan Elliott*

The experience of violence in childhood is not only a global human rights issue, but a global issue of health and wellbeing.  Furthermore, in this year of the 100th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, researchers and policy makers must heed pillar 4: that children have the right to engage in discussions around policies that affect them and their lives.  There is wide international variation in the definitions, conceptualizations and operationalizations of violence; as such, our transdisciplinary team has undertaken a five country mixed-methods investigation of what acts of violence are considered normal, acceptable or common.  As such, we use as our point of departure the potential impacts of  violent acts on the health and wellbeing of children when they are not reported to be perceived as ‘violence’ and thus considered ‘normative’. An analysis of existing policy documents across the five countries as well as quantitative survey data and qualitative focus groups and interviews, built around ecological momentary analysis is triangulated to inform policy and practice through our International Advisory Board. This paper presents the results of qualitative interviews from primary and secondary school children on their experiences, understandings, and definitions of violence as well as their capacity to define what is ‘normal’ and what is ‘not normal’ in the realm of violence in their everyday lives. We also report the impacts on their health and wellbeing, through their eyes.  We conclude with their voices targeted at policies to change the behaviour of adults in order to ensure a better future for them and their own children.