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Children and Violence

Politics of Conflict in South Asia

Bina D'Costa editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:4th Oct '16

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Children and Violence cover

Explores the conceptualisation of childhood in South Asia and comments on the shift from welfare to the protection of children's rights in the region.

Through examining various case studies in South Asia, this volume observes that significant tensions exist between universal and local approaches to childhood. It reflects how the development of international and national discourses on children's rights and protection is relevant to children's everyday lives in situations of conflict.Children's diverse experiences during periods of conflict, post-conflict and peacetime reveal that their roles in society and political communities are complex. Based on this premise, this book suggests that understanding children's roles involves a critical analysis of where the child is situated within her/his family, within socio-political networks and within the state. Through examining various case studies in South Asia, a region that is marked as much by its homogeneity as by its immense diversity, the book observes that significant tensions exist between universal and local approaches to childhood. It reflects how the development of international and national discourses on children's rights and protection is relevant to children's everyday lives in situations of conflict.

'This marvelous, impassioned collection of essays allows us a glimpse into the way children in South Asia have become the battlefield where political and social differences are settled and where society's frustrations, anxieties, self-hatred and greed can have full, unfettered play. In one of the most militarized parts of the world, children are the easy targets of psychopathic violence that includes rape, torture, abduction, economic exploitation, [and] forced induction into armies and other armed non-state formations such as smugglers, rebel armies and terrorists. The book is not a pleasant read but it is not easily put-downable either; it is the story of an ancient civilization imploding in front of us.' Ashis Nandy, Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi
'Bina D'Costa's very important volume highlights that children are the most vulnerable group affected by conflicts and violence. Tracing through South Asia, this volume demonstrates that understanding children's experiences and recognising their rights should be central to any conversation about peace building and justice.' Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2014

ISBN: 9781107117242

Dimensions: 235mm x 157mm x 30mm

Weight: 630g

340 pages