Child Protection and Social Inequality: Understanding Child Prostitution in Malawi

摘要: This article draws on empirical research to develop understandings of child prostitution, previously theorised the basis children’s rights, feminist, and structure/agency debates, largely ignoring own their involvement in prostitution. Conducted Malawi, which is one economically poorest countries world, study goes heart questions inequality protection. Within a participatory framework, nineteen girls young women used visual methods generate images representing experiences Individual group discussions were illuminate meanings significance images. With exception youngest, participants understood initial prostitution as means survival face poverty and/or parental death, or escape from violent relationships, that subsequently mirrored by exploitation violence within Using lens capability approach, we capture complexity demonstrating ambiguous agency deeply embedded patriarchal cultural norms constrained choices limited freedom pursue valued lives. We end reflecting critically theoretical methodological contributions study, making policy practice recommendations identifying opportunities for further research.