Nursing Publications
Violence Prevention and the Canadian Girl Child
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Journal
International Journal of Child, Youth & Family Studies
Volume
1
Issue
2
First Page
134
Last Page
156
Abstract
The authors argue that because there are no groups of girls or young women that can be considered immune from gender-based or systemic violence, there is a significant need for the inclusion and recognition of the girl child in official policies, programs, and legislation. In their view, a fundamental recognition of the specificities of the gendered nature of violence, particularly as it intersects with age, race, class, ability, and sexual orientation is required. Moreover, the antecedent roots of violence need to be identified, as they provide sites for effective and early intervention. They discuss the social and historical context of the girl child in Canada and follow this analysis with a presentation of the research carried out by the Alliance of Five Research Centres on Violence and its consequent implications for policy and programming. Finally, the authors append a detailed list of concrete recommendations for policy-makers at all levels of government, as well as for service providers and the media, covering such areas as education, service delivery, and future research.
