Social practices on the right to protection in childhood for boys, girls, teenagers, parental figures and teachers

Abstract

This paper presents the results of formative research on the design, implementation, and assessment of a strategy to transform the social practices regarding the right to childhood protection in the Colombian Caribbean region. To characterize the social practices regarding the right to childhood protection as well as the cognitions and social norms that support them, on the part of the boys, girls, teenagers, parental figures and teachers in the Atlantic region.

The study used focus groups with boys, girls, teenagers, parental figures, and teachers to identify both the social practices linked to this right and the cognitions and social norms that support these practices. The information was processed by performing a content analysis with Atlas.ti software (version 7, Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany).

The results obtained for all populations indicate that there are social conventions that underpin the social practices that jeopardize the right to childhood protection. For this reason, educational and communication strategies should question the cognitions and social norms linked to childhood, upbringing, care, and protection when modeling new practices based on other meanings and the inclusion of other agents.

Keywords:

• right to protection
• childhood
• social norms
• social practice
• social cognition

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the call for projects of strategic lines 2010, Universidad del Norte, Line of research in childhood, adolescence and youth.