Exploring risk of child exploitation: Three exercises to discuss intersectionality with children

Abstract

Intersectionality is an incredible way to highlight how different characteristics of children intersect to create either risk or protection of child exploitation. However, the concept is often experienced as abstract or complex. As part of a larger study, Terre des Hommes Netherlands designed and piloted child-friendly exercises to discuss intersectionality. We focus on our pilot in Ethiopia and Uganda, where 23 children participated.

In this practice article, we want to share our three suggested exercises (the onion exercise, avatar creation and the power walk) alongside our lessons learned. Through the exercises we learned that children identify disability, religion, living situation, age, economic situation and education as important factors that influence risk of child exploitation.

We learned that children understand intersectionality very well, using everyday concepts like an onion and applying it to their context. We used similar exercises in our organisation afterwards to discuss child exploitation and related risk factors in all countries that our organisation works in. Additionally, we used the children's insights about risk and protective factors to design our organisational training on principles to prevent and respond to child exploitation, amplifying the messages of children even further.

In our experience, these three simple exercises are a powerful tool to discuss these issues with children in an understandable way. They are easy to adapt to different contexts and subjects and can teach many practitioners, researchers and organisations about what children identify as key issues to address.