Citation

Hlavka HR. Violence Against Women 2019; 25(16): 1956-1979.

Affiliation

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801219875817

PMID

31718531

Abstract

The interdisciplinary silences on sexual violence and the omission of children and youth from social science research speak volumes of the power of the child as a flexible, cultural signifier. In this article, I argue that dominant frameworks of children and childhood make child sexual assault a discursive impossibility for most young people. The epistemic violence of silencing matters, and it is these erasures that are fundamental to understanding violence and power. I argue it is paramount for feminist researchers to call attention to the undermining qualities of Institutional Review Boards that act as gatekeepers of representation and voice.

Language: en

Keywords

children and youth; discourse; ethics; sexual violence