Rona Jualla van Oudenhoven

This book explores the situation of violence against children (VAC) in the Caribbean context against an international backdrop. It examines the different dimensions of violence (direct, cultural and structural) and involves a sociological exploration of the factors that contribute to the high tolerance of violence that exists in the Caribbean region, with particular attention to Trinidad and Tobago. A deconstruction of the violence concept and its epistemological implications allows for a defining, refining and re-defining of the phenomenon.

The research examines the spheres of domestic violence, gender violence, violence against street children, and corporal punishment in great detail. The research adopts a rights-based analysis of the issue of VAC and incorporates an international review; it imports field research from Bangladesh, Canada, Nicaragua, and the Netherlands context to inform the study. It conducts an evaluation of T&T’s standing with respect to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and puts forward sound recommendations for change. The multi-design approach uses qualitative and quantitative data analysis to assess the nation’s knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and beliefs (KAPBs) on the issue of VAC. The ultimate aim of the research is for its utilisation by everyone, especially state policy makers, to promote a ‘lowering’ of the threshold of violence- tolerance, thereby fostering a more child-friendly society.

Rona Jualla van Oudenhoven is sociologist, she is attached to ICDI – International Child Development Initiatives – in Leiden, The Netherlands. She is currently involved in social justice advocacy within a North American and international context. She continues to contribute to the debate, policy and practice regarding interventions benefitting vulnerable persons.

This book argues that the worldwide trend of turning children into ‘early learners’ at ever younger ages is detrimental to their well-being and healthy development. Instead, ECD – Early Childhood Education efforts should foremost be a ‘culturising’ endeavour.

Culturised ECD is here seen as an enjoyable and wholesome process that challenges and engages children. It fosters their curiosity and eagerness to be active and to explore, enables them to use their faculties, talents and skills, and contributes to their development as well-rounded persons since it helps them in valuing, searching for, finding, contributing to and creating beauty and meaning in life as well as appreciating the connectedness of things organic and inorganic. It also engenders children with hope and “the audacious attempt to galvanize and energize, to inspire and to invigorate world-weary people”. It is the totality of those activities that enables young boys and girls to participate in things that are meaningful, pleasing and good. It recognises that ECD is all-encompassing and should therefore be much more than providing children with ‘schooling’.

The following issues are addressed, culturised ECD and its:

• effect on the well-being of children; this regardless of their future, inside or outside the school or employment market
• impact on the longer-term development of children; do they become more resilient, experience fewer obstacles when enrolling in formal basic education and when adults, will they fare better, socially and economically?
• relevance when faced with such ‘hot topics’ as violence, discrimination and social exclusion of children.
• contribution to reducing poverty and inequality, or helping young boys and girls, both as children and later as adults, to cope with both.

The authors, Nico van Oudenhoven, originally a child psychologist, and Rona Jualla van Oudenhoven, an educational sociologist, are both connected to ICDI – International Child Development Initiatives, located in Amsterdam (The Netherlands).