Investing in activism: Learning from children’s actions to stop child marriage

P. Cuevas-Parra; E Kay M Tisdall

doi:10.1177/09075682221117295

Investing in activism: Learning from children’s actions to stop child marriage

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract / Description of output

This article draws on child activists’ experiences in Bangladesh and Ghana, who mobilised to stop potential child marriages from their respective Child Forums and Children’s Parliaments. Case studies were undertaken with 75 child activists, 10 girls whose child marriages had been stopped, and 22 adult stakeholders. The children’s activism disrupted intergenerational relations – unsettling adults’ attitudes towards children – and depended on such relations – children were successful in stopping child marriages because they drew on critical social capital and mobilised key stakeholders. Children’s activism thus has lessons for children’s participation literature more generally, in the synergies between children’s mobilisation and intergenerational relations.

Original language	English
Journal	Childhood: A journal of global child research
Early online date	21 Jul 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/09075682221117295
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 21 Jul 2022

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

children
participation
activism
child marriage
intergenerational

Access to Document

10.1177/09075682221117295

Cuevas-Parra&TisdallC2022InvestingInActivismAccepted author manuscript, 787 KBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Cite this

@article{ab2ff091436949a5a98e61ede5b576cd,

title = "Investing in activism: Learning from children{\textquoteright}s actions to stop child marriage",

abstract = "This article draws on child activists{\textquoteright} experiences in Bangladesh and Ghana, who mobilised to stop potential child marriages from their respective Child Forums and Children{\textquoteright}s Parliaments. Case studies were undertaken with 75 child activists, 10 girls whose child marriages had been stopped, and 22 adult stakeholders. The children{\textquoteright}s activism disrupted intergenerational relations – unsettling adults{\textquoteright} attitudes towards children – and depended on such relations – children were successful in stopping child marriages because they drew on critical social capital and mobilised key stakeholders. Children{\textquoteright}s activism thus has lessons for children{\textquoteright}s participation literature more generally, in the synergies between children{\textquoteright}s mobilisation and intergenerational relations.",

keywords = "children, participation, activism, child marriage, intergenerational",

author = "P. Cuevas-Parra and Tisdall, {E Kay M}",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the contribution of children and young people to the research project, who were so well supported by local staff. We want to thank World Vision Bangladesh and World Vision Ghana for facilitating the research and Strala Rupa Mollick and Gregory Dery for providing research support. We appreciate the support of World Vision International for the partnership project. Many thanks to Patrick Brobbey who supported our fieldwork in Ghana. Kay Tisdall would like to thank others who have helped develop ideas on child activism, through the following projects: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)/UKRI (R451265206, RES-189-25-0174, RES-451-26-0685, GCRF ES/T001399/1, ES/S004351/1), the AHRC GCRF Changing the Story Large Project Grant, the European Union{\textquoteright}s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014–20), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2022.",

year = "2022",

month = jul,

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journal = "Childhood: A journal of global child research",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Investing in activism

T2 - Learning from children’s actions to stop child marriage

AU - Cuevas-Parra, P.

AU - Tisdall, E Kay M

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the contribution of children and young people to the research project, who were so well supported by local staff. We want to thank World Vision Bangladesh and World Vision Ghana for facilitating the research and Strala Rupa Mollick and Gregory Dery for providing research support. We appreciate the support of World Vision International for the partnership project. Many thanks to Patrick Brobbey who supported our fieldwork in Ghana. Kay Tisdall would like to thank others who have helped develop ideas on child activism, through the following projects: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)/UKRI (R451265206, RES-189-25-0174, RES-451-26-0685, GCRF ES/T001399/1, ES/S004351/1), the AHRC GCRF Changing the Story Large Project Grant, the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014–20), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.

PY - 2022/7/21

Y1 - 2022/7/21

N2 - This article draws on child activists’ experiences in Bangladesh and Ghana, who mobilised to stop potential child marriages from their respective Child Forums and Children’s Parliaments. Case studies were undertaken with 75 child activists, 10 girls whose child marriages had been stopped, and 22 adult stakeholders. The children’s activism disrupted intergenerational relations – unsettling adults’ attitudes towards children – and depended on such relations – children were successful in stopping child marriages because they drew on critical social capital and mobilised key stakeholders. Children’s activism thus has lessons for children’s participation literature more generally, in the synergies between children’s mobilisation and intergenerational relations.

AB - This article draws on child activists’ experiences in Bangladesh and Ghana, who mobilised to stop potential child marriages from their respective Child Forums and Children’s Parliaments. Case studies were undertaken with 75 child activists, 10 girls whose child marriages had been stopped, and 22 adult stakeholders. The children’s activism disrupted intergenerational relations – unsettling adults’ attitudes towards children – and depended on such relations – children were successful in stopping child marriages because they drew on critical social capital and mobilised key stakeholders. Children’s activism thus has lessons for children’s participation literature more generally, in the synergies between children’s mobilisation and intergenerational relations.

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KW - intergenerational

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JF - Childhood: A journal of global child research

ER -

Investing in activism: Learning from children’s actions to stop child marriage

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

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Other files and links

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Developing the evidence base for innovation in social care for children and families affected by domestic abuse

Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health - Glasgow Lead

Children and Young People's Participation: From fashion Accesory to part of the fabric

Cite this

Investing in activism: Learning from children’s actions to stop child marriage

Abstract / Description of output

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Developing the evidence base for innovation in social care for children and families affected by domestic abuse

Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Public Health - Glasgow Lead

Children and Young People's Participation: From fashion Accesory to part of the fabric

Cite this