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Negotiating childhood: the gendered experiences of street children and children in difficult circumstances in Tanzania

Evans, Ruth Mary Clare

Authors

Ruth Mary Clare Evans



Abstract

Within the context of national levels of poverty, structural adjustment policies and the AIDS epidemic, this thesis analyses the experiences of children and young people in difficult circumstances in Tanzania from a gender perspective. Using the social construction of 'childhood' as the theoretical framework, the study is based on participatory, child-focused ethnographic research, which was conducted in Arusha, northern Tanzania 2000-2002.

Following an overview of the global concept of childhood, the phenomenon of street children, and concepts of childhood in Tanzania, I provide a reflexive account of the research process. Based on the findings, I explore children's and adults' perceptions of the socio-cultural concept of childhood, children's different gendered experiences, and attitudes towards education. The study then examines street children's experiences of 'home' and their narratives of why they left their immediate household. In the light of the experiences of some street children who had been orphaned by AIDS and whose families and communities were unable to support them, I analyse the experiences of children from HIV / AIDS-affected households, and young people's age-related and gendered vulnerabilities to HIV infection. The contradictions and contrasts of life on the street are explored, based on children's experiences, with gender identified as a key differential. I examine the survival strategies and coping mechanisms, both materially and emotionally, that children develop in order to survive independently in the street. Using Moser's framework of 'practical' and 'strategic' needs and interests (1989) I explore ways of responding to the experiences of children and young people. Children's participation in decision-making at the local, regional, national and international levels is analysed, and I draw up a series of policy recommendations which aim to meet children's practical and strategic needs. In the light of the previous chapters, I re-evaluate the concept of street children and offer some ways forward.

Citation

Evans, R. M. C. Negotiating childhood: the gendered experiences of street children and children in difficult circumstances in Tanzania. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212364

Thesis Type Thesis
Deposit Date May 22, 2012
Publicly Available Date Feb 22, 2023
Keywords Gender studies
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212364
Additional Information Department of Gender Studies, The University of Hull
Award Date Sep 1, 2003

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Copyright Statement
© 2003 Evans, Ruth Mary Clare. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright holder.




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