Children's experiences of domestic violence (UNARS): an exhibition

Abstract

UNARS (‘Understanding Agency and Resistance Strategies: Young People Living with Domestic Violence’) is a two-year European project exploring the ways children and young people cope and manage in situations of domestic violence. The project is led by an academic team from the University of Northampton with partners in Italy, Greece, Spain and the UK. One of the key aspects of the project is the enablement of children’s ‘voices’: we think it is important that children’s experiences are heard. The exhibition presents photovoice collages, drawings and interview extracts that enable a better understanding of the way that children experience and live with domestic violence. The imagery the children have produced provides an insight into the many and varied creative and resourceful ways that children find to manage their emotions, embodied experiences and relational spaces. The work illustrates children as impacted by domestic violence, but also as active agents in their own lives, making purposeful attempts to protect themselves and other family members, to heal and to build positive self-identities during and after living in contexts of violence