{"id":177,"date":"2024-10-29T07:10:26","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T07:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmu.mau.se\/msm24group6\/?p=177"},"modified":"2024-12-10T17:36:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T17:36:18","slug":"decoloniality-and-childrens-rights-interviewing-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpmu.mau.se\/msm24group6\/2024\/10\/29\/decoloniality-and-childrens-rights-interviewing-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Decoloniality and Children\u2019s Rights: Interviewing Children"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Karin:<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we discuss decoloniality and correcting abuses of power, where do children fit in? While children should be protected from having to make major decisions that adults must make, children\u2019s opinions and lived experiences should inform public policy to a greater extent according to international law.<\/em><\/p>\n

Interviewing children: The background in children\u2019s rights<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Children may be considered colonial subjects within each society with regards to how little say they have over their own lives and how cruelly they are often treated. In a 2022 essay called UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 2 and Discrimination on the Basis of Childhood<\/em> that, the authors mention that, despite the fact that children possess recognized rights, there is often little awareness of the fact that children as a group face discrimination in ways similar to that of other vulnerable and minority groups (Daly, Thorburn Stern & Leviner, p. 419). Neuroscientific discoveries of recent years have revealed that children\u2019s brains are not like adults\u2019 brains and need an encouraging environment to develop optimally.<\/a> Following the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)<\/a> by most countries in the world in 1989, processes for speaking with children, documenting their viewpoints and incorporating their lived experiences and needs into public policy were developed.<\/p>\n

Interviewing children: Special legislation for interviewing children<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Children lack the opportunities adults have to participate in society and share what their lives are like. It is the adults who must go out of their way to collect children\u2019s stories and opinions. In General Comment no. 12 of 2009, the CRC Committee recommends that \u2018State parties take action to build opportunities for children to express their views and for those views to be given due weight\u2019<\/a> (Committee CRC, 2009, no. 106). Interviewing children is not entirely like interviewing adults. Decisions by adults that involve children must involve an analysis of at least one of the four fundamental rights of the CRC<\/a>. These legal aspects are discussed in detail in essay Incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in National Law<\/em> (Hoffman & Thorburn Stern, p. 148). Interviewers must act in the best interest of the child in each unique situation<\/a> (UN CRC, 2013) and learn how to interview children<\/a> (Vasquez, 2000).<\/p>\n

Interviewing children: The selection<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In article Rethinking Procedures<\/em>, the authors discuss the difference between selecting a sample for active interviewing and sampling for standard survey research (Gubrium & Holstein, 2011, p. 75). Interviewing children is similar to active interviewing: The interviewer is looking for common themes among the children (as in a survey) while also aiming to hear about individual experiences (as in active interviewing). The purpose of this blog post is to illustrate how to interview children and to encourage adults to listen to children, more so than to present a relevant survey result or share specific interviewee stories.<\/p>\n

Interviewing children: Contact and Consent<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Making children\u2019s participation available (in schools and elsewhere) is mandatory according to the CRC. In Sweden, the CRC guidelines were incorporated into a new national law in 2020. Child participation is voluntary and care is taken to create a safe environment<\/a> (Children\u2019s Ombudsman Sweden, 2022, p. 17). I work in a French children\u2019s rights organization and decided to contact the parents of children in a French school near me through a parent-school association, explaining my project and proposing to interview two children. I chose the age of nine because at that age the children already have a few years of experience in the school. The parents of the first children who volunteered signed a consent form. There must be minimum two adults present when interviewing children (in this case, a parent). Children must be protected from emotional or other harm but this should not make us afraid to talk with children: children should be protected IN participation, not FROM participation as discussed in Children\u2019s rights\u2019 to participation and protection in international development and humanitarian interventions: nurturing a dialogue<\/em> (Collins Tara M; Grover Sonja, Ruiz-Casares Monica, Tisdall, 2017, p. 3).<\/p>\n

Interviewing children: The methodology<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Active interviewing demands a higher level of engagement and interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee than asking questions in a standard survey. Interviewing children in line with the CRC recommendations takes a semi-structured approach: the same initial questions are asked to all children while follow-up questions may bring each interview in a new direction depending on the answers. This allows for a later identification of common themes, to direct public policy recommendation that improve children\u2019s daily lives, while also leaving an open space for individual experiences to be heard. Questions should be open-ended.<\/p>\n

Interviewing children: Building rapport when interviewing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I wanted to the interviews to take place in a safe setting in which the children felt at ease and didn\u2019t worry other people would be watching or listening (aside from the parent). One took place over a Zoom call from my home to the child\u2019s and the other one in-person in the child\u2019s home over a \u2018go\u00fbter\u2019 \u2018afternoon snack) \u2013 to compare the two experiences. Some small talk took place in the two cases, to make the environment warmer and friendlier, before getting into the questions. I also explained again to the children their right to give their opinion on their daily life in school and the purpose of the interview.<\/p>\n

Interviewing children: The questions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The questions must be adapted to the age and perceived maturity of the child being interviewed, which requires active listening and being sensitive to children\u2019s individual needs. I formulated three simple and open questions:<\/p>\n