Understanding children’s experiences of violence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India: evidence from Young Lives Virginia Morrow, Young Lives, Oxford, and Renu Singh, Young Lives, India Yung Lives international Conference on Adolescence, Youth and Gender 8-9 September 2016

1. Understanding children’s experiences of
violence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,
India: evidence from Young Lives
Virginia Morrow, Young Lives, Oxford,
and Renu Singh, Young Lives, India

2. Context:
• Societal context of widespread condemnation of gender-
based violence
• Research context of copious evidence showing that
violence against children is widespread in homes, schools
and communities
• Policy context of plethora of laws banning use of violence
eg in schools, girls’ empowerment programmes
• Analysis of cross-sectional survey data
• Case studies from longitudinal qualitative data gathered
over a seven year period
• Attempt to apply socio-ecological model of Multi-Country
Study

3. Key findings (1): violence is widespread
• Seen as acceptable way to respond to
transgressions
• Changes as children grow older
• Underpinned by powerful gender norms –
harassment (‘eve-teasing’)
• Experienced at school – corporal
punishment
• Children across all socio-economic levels
experience and witness violence

4. Key findings (2): Drivers of violence
• Intergenerational cycle of violence, eg
Ravi, at age 12, sees parents fighting,
tried to intervene, said of his future wife: ‘I
won’t beat her…’
• But age 19, married, ‘she gets a beating…
she just nags, I get angry’
• Poverty exacerbates corporal punishment:
- missing school for work, being tired, not
paying fees on time, not wearing uniform

5. Key findings (3): children’s responses
• At home – removing themselves from the
situation, running away, refusing to go to
school; boys/young men intervene to
protect mothers/sisters
• Some children seek support from elders
and other trusted adults
• But culture of silence surrounds violence
• ‘If we have difficulties, we don’t like to
share them. We prefer to share only our
happiness’ (Ravi)

6. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & THANK YOU
• Young Lives children, parents/caregivers as well as
community leaders, teachers, health workers and
others in communities.
• Fieldworkers, data-managers, survey enumerators
and supervisors, principal investigators
• Catherine Maternowska, Alina Potts, Debra Pepler
for valuable comments and encouragement.
• Funders: UNICEF OoR for commissioning the
paper, DFID, DGIS, IrishAid, Oak Foundation, Bernard
Van Leer Foundation.
Thanks to...