Violence against children. A Rights-Based Discourse

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.