Scorgie Fiona, Baron Deborah, Stadler Jonathan, Venables Emilie, Brahmbhatt Heena, Mmari Kristin, Delany-Moretlwe Sinead
Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (WRHI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Division of Social and Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
BMC Public Health. 2017 Jul 4;17(Suppl 3):441. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4349-x.
For adolescents growing up in poor urban South African settings, violence is often a part of daily life and has lasting effects on physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. We conducted a qualitative study to document and understand the forms of interpersonal violence experienced by adolescents living in Hillbrow, Johannesburg. In this article, we explore how violence is experienced differently by adolescent boys and girls, how they conceptualise 'dangerous' and 'safe' spaces in their neighbourhood and what gaps exist in available services for youth in Hillbrow.
The article draws on data collected in the formative phase of the 'Wellbeing of Adolescents in Vulnerable Environments' (WAVE) Study of challenges faced by adolescents (15-19 years) growing up in impoverished parts of five cities. This article reports on analysis using only data from the Johannesburg site. Using both purposive and snowball sampling to select participants, we conducted in-depth interviews (n = 20) and community mapping exercises with female (n = 19) and male (n = 20) adolescents living in Hillbrow, as well as key informant interviews with representatives of residential shelters, CBOs, and NGOs working with youth (n = 17). Transcripts were coded manually and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.
Both girls and boys reported high exposure to witnessing violence and crime. For girls, the threat of sexual harassment and violence was pervasive, while boys feared local gangs, the threat of physical violence, and being drawn into substance-abuse. Home was largely a safe haven for boys, whereas for girls it was often a space of sexual violence, abuse and neglect. Some adolescents developed coping mechanisms, such as actively seeking out community theatres, churches and other places of sanctuary from violence. Community-based services and shelters that support adolescents reported a lack of resources, overall instability and difficulties networking effectively.
Adolescents in Hillbrow commonly witnessed and had direct experience of many forms of violence in their environment, and these experiences differed markedly by gender. Interventions that build young peoples' social capital and resilience are essential for reducing violence-related trauma and long-term health and social consequences for adolescents in this community.
对于在南非城市贫困环境中成长的青少年而言，暴力常常是日常生活的一部分，且会对其成年后的身心健康产生持久影响。我们开展了一项定性研究，以记录和了解约翰内斯堡希尔布罗地区青少年所经历的人际暴力形式。在本文中，我们探讨了青少年男孩和女孩对暴力的不同体验方式、他们如何界定社区中的“危险”和“安全”空间，以及希尔布罗地区针对青少年的现有服务存在哪些差距。
本文借鉴了“脆弱环境中青少年福祉”（WAVE）研究形成阶段收集的数据，该研究关注的是在五个城市贫困地区成长的15至19岁青少年所面临的挑战。本文仅报告对约翰内斯堡地区数据的分析结果。我们采用目的抽样和滚雪球抽样的方法选取参与者，对居住在希尔布罗的青少年女性（n = 19）和男性（n = 20）进行了深入访谈，并开展了社区绘图活动，同时还对为青少年提供服务的居民庇护所、社区组织和非政府组织的代表进行了关键 informant访谈（n = 17）。对访谈记录进行手动编码，并采用归纳主题分析法进行分析。
男孩和女孩都表示经常目睹暴力和犯罪行为。对女孩来说，性骚扰和暴力威胁无处不在，而男孩则害怕当地帮派、身体暴力威胁以及陷入药物滥用。家在很大程度上是男孩的安全港湾，而对女孩来说，家常常是性暴力、虐待和忽视发生的场所。一些青少年发展出了应对机制，比如积极寻找社区剧院、教堂和其他免受暴力侵害的避难场所。为青少年提供支持的社区服务机构和庇护所报告称，缺乏资源、整体不稳定以及有效建立网络存在困难。
希尔布罗地区的青少年普遍目睹并直接经历了其周围环境中的多种暴力形式，而且这些经历因性别差异显著。建立年轻人社会资本和恢复力的干预措施对于减少该社区青少年与暴力相关的创伤以及长期健康和社会后果至关重要。
