Det våldsbevittnande barnets ontologi

Abstract

The recurring demand in Sweden today is to view children witnessing domestic violence as victims of crime. In this article, we discuss the ontological status of the child and how witnessing violence might affect this status. In light of research on children witnessing domestic violence and how these children are described in support methods, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the ontology of children and particularly of the child witnessing domestic violence. This is related to the political history of and current theories on children. Previous research shows that witnessing domestic violence increases the risk for developing violent behaviors. Despite this, current Swedish support methods pay little attention to possible use of violence among these children. This could entail that important aspects are not given discursive space within interventions. Chris Jenk’s writing on mythological imageries of children is related to children witnessing domestic violence. The imageries of Apollo and Dionysus respectively produce different ideas about innocence, vulnerability, responsibility and competence. An Apollonian imagery of children witnessing domestic violence focuses exclusively on children as victims, ignoring their potential for violence. The Dionysian imagery on the other hand generates an idea of children with an innate propensity for violence, which threatens their ontological status as victims. Furthermore, the ontology of children explored in the context of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and a more complex understanding of children is called for. The imagery of Athena is put forth to broaden the understanding of children as responsible and participating on their own terms. This imagery goes hand-in-hand, we argue, with John Wall’s call for a childism parallel to feminism.