Challenging Turbulent Times: Towards a Framework for Girl-Led Transnational Dialogues to Combat Sexual Violence

Abstract

Claudia Mitchell – PhD, James McGill Professor, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Email: Claudia.mitchell@mcgill.ca

Turbulent times in relation to sexual violence in the lives of girls and young women call for solidarity and global action. One of the effects of globalization is the increased recognition of a borderless world that, in some ways, erases the boundaries between 'over there' and 'over here', challenging some of the distinctions behind a Global North and a Global South. In this article, I offer an analysis of the issues behind sexual violence, which frame the possibilities for research teams working with girls and young women across the Global North and the Global South. At the same time, I highlight the possibilities for learning more about North-North and South-South interactions. What would such an approach entail and what kinds of strategies are useful for sustaining such a strategy in combating sexual violence? In particular, how can such a framework support dialogue? In order to address these questions the article suggests a practical framework which draws on the findings from a Canada-South Africa project, Networks for Change and in particular focuses on the importance of advocating for a public voice for girls and young women that is framed within an activist agenda. The article refers to this approach as a 'circles within circles' approach, arguing for both bringing together girls and young women who have been involved in participatory visual work from a number of country contexts, and ensuring that the circle puts girls and young women at the centre.