Child Security Thesis

MadameGascar

Hi all, I'm currently planning my thesis for Anthropology and am considering researching the topic of child security. It is in the early stages, so I would love to hear suggestions from people, personal experiences etc.

The perception of danger to children in Ireland these days is clear, so I am interested in the fear and the degree to which parents go to to protect their children. There are a mass of contradictions, for example; a child can't cross a road or leave their back garden, yet they are exposed to so much through all the unsupervised television and computer game time they have.

I am also thinking about the perceived threat of pedophiles, rules for teachers interaction with children and even the effect security measures may have on a child (eg obesity!). I am trying to go into this with no assumptions! But I can't ignore the fact that there is actually a market for GPS trackers for children and I survived to adulthood without this. Even protecting children from sex, knowledge of, or about religion!

I'm interested in child/adult interaction, messages in the media, crime stats and the differences in child security from place to place (eg the home, to school, to football training). As I said, its in the early stages, and I would love to hear from boardsies!

looksee

Its a bit difficult to know exactly what you are looking for. You are presumably not proposing to structure your thesis on anecdotal evidence, which is what you seem to be looking for.

On the other hand crime stats are there for the researching, and work has been done on linking security with obesity, so that is available research.

What is your proposal? You seem to be suggesting that the need for child security is more of a perception than a reality, based on the fact that you and many others survived childhood without gps trackers or similar protection. Again that is anecdotal - are you going to include the dangers to children that were offered by institutions such as schools and church, or are you only considering the threat of, say, kerb-side kidnapping?

That would suggest to me that research into factual information on threats to children - arrests, for example - and investigation into whether any changes in numbers is due to more, or less, reporting, or more/less offences.

To put in my own anecdotal evidence, as children we were warned about not talking to strangers, staying together with siblings and friends and generally looking after ourselves, then allowed to get on with our lives. Other than a bit of random bullying by peers, I can't remember having any problems.

Ostrom

Take a look at the first report of the ESRI's Growing up in Ireland study. I haven't read the complete report but I've been messing with the data for a few months on and off and there are variables on weight, height, standard literacy and math ability scores, and hundreds of others on the childs leisure time, supervision, history of bullying, parenting styles etc. I'm sure you'll find something in the report, if not at the specific commbination of variables and selections you are looking for (these reports tend not to include much beyond summaries).

Crime data is generally not easy to come by at the level you are looking for. The CSO makes crime stats available through database direct (go to www.statentral.ie and navigate through the crime tab). You can view recorded offences for the past 3-4 years if I remember at a fairly narrow level (i.e. you can view aggravated assaults by garda region), but this probably wont be much use to you. Beyond that there are a scattering of papers on class-based outcomes in the juvenile justice system, but these usually depend on limited data.

As for information specific to your problem, I would imagine you are looking for official / NGO reports into child security, of which there are plenty.