Language, meaning and measure: Community perspectives and experiences of physical punishments and the transforming child protection and child rights landscapes in Tanzania.
Child Abuse Negl
; 129: 105663, 2022 07.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35640348
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Over the last decade Tanzania has become recognized as a regional leader in addressing issues of violence affecting children. Despite global partnerships and national initiatives, physical punishments remain legally sanctioned and broadly socially supported as part of responsible childrearing.OBJECTIVE:
This research aimed to gain insights into community perspectives and experiences of physical punishments in children's upbringings and how community derived meaning and measurement of particular acts relate with global rights-based conceptualizations of physical violence against children. PARTICIPANTS ANDSETTING:
Fourteen months of ethnographic research was conducted primarily in and around a peri-urban community in northwest Tanzania. Interviews with national- and global-level children's rights and safety representatives were conducted in Dar-es-Salaam. Twenty-four, school-going girls and boys (ages 8-12) and 53 adults directly participated in study activities.METHODS:
Data collection methods included participant observation, participatory workshops (9), semi-structured interviews (36) and document reviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data.RESULTS:
Data revealed ongoing debate regarding the use of physical punishments in children's upbringings and their association with violence. Resistance to the global children's rights promoted discourse of complete elimination of physical punishment of children manifested as avoidance, negotiation and rejection. Corporal punishment proved a particularly problematic term.CONCLUSIONS:
Child protection and children's rights are dynamic systems, vernacularized based on unique regional histories and ongoing social change. Prioritization of contextualized and dynamic constructions of children's wellbeing and safety can support the development of sustainable protection systems that support the safety and development of children and families in local communities.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Punição
/
Idioma
Tipo de estudo:
Qualitative_research
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Limite:
Adult
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Região como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Child Abuse Negl
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article