Children's narratives of violence: Qualitative findings from a violence study with young children in South Africa

Abstract

Research on violence against children in Africa often relies on adult's qualitative accounts or on quantitative surveys that focus mainly on sexual abuse or on adverse childhood exposures. We seldom hear how young children describe their experiences and their perceptions of violence. This study aimed to describe children's personal experiences and perceptions of violence. The study was conducted from 2022 to 2023 in peri-urban and rural Mpumalanga, South Africa with 23 children aged between 6 and 12 years who, together with their primary caregivers, were participants in a larger longitudinal cohort study. We used in-depth interviews alongside arts-based methods for the children. Interviews underwent reflexive thematic analysis. Children were highly exposed to physical and emotional violence both in and outside of the home. Physical violence was used as a discipline method by teachers, parents, or children's caregivers. Severe occurrences involved adults using objects to discipline children, including steel pipes, shoes, or classroom materials. Most children associated violence with fear and pain. However, they described physical abuse as a morally “right” act if they understood it to be a form of discipline for their wrong behaviours. Attitudes condoning violence also enabled peer-to-peer violence. Children were not confident in reporting cases of violence inflicted by adults due to the fear of sanctions and the belief that violence from adults was “accepted”. In this sample, children had limited spaces that they marked as free from violence. Violence was normalised by the adults inflicting it, creating a state of cognitive dissonance among children, leading to victim blaming and, in turn, inflicting violence against same-age peers.