Children’s Voices: Living Through Violence

Risk Factors

“I’m afraid of my stepfather; he threatens my mother with a sword. One day he might hurt her  and then he’ll go to jail, and my mother will be in the hospital.”
— 11-year-old boy

“When my parents fight, my mother calls us to help her, but when we do, my father beats us or throws us out.”
— 11-year-old boy

“A girl is affected the most because she’s powerless and can’t defend herself.”
— 11-year-old boy

“They (parents) drink ulanzi (bamboo spirit), nzuga (millet spirit), and komoni (corn brew). That’s when the fighting starts.”
— 10-year-old girl

Protective Factors

“My grandmother consoles me; she tells me not to cry and helps stop my parents from fighting.”
— 10-year-old girl

“When they fight, I go tell Mama Love, our neighbour, or I report to the ten-cell leader.”
— 10-year-old girl

“When the fighting got worse, I ran to get the neighbours and the street chairperson. He told my parents what they did was wrong and could hurt my mother, who was pregnant.”
— 10-year-old girl