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An Exploration of the Vatsonga People’s Markers of Childhood

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Abstract

Children are entitled to a host of rights cutting across the socio-economic and cultural fabric. These are contained in various international and regional conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child among many more. The concept of childhood is socially constructed therefore childhood is neither a natural nor universal feature of human groups but rather a specific cultural component of given societies. The paper is based on a qualitative study in which purposively selected 40 Indigenous Knowledge Systems experts and 11 social workers drawn from Mozambique and Zimbabwe participated in the study. The article explores the Vatsonga people’s markers of childhood drawing lessons for social workers working with indigenous groups. The findings revealed that childhood among the Vatsonga is not determined by chronological numeric age but by various markers such as maturity and rites of passage. Childhood was romanticised by the Vatsonga as a period of innocence and irrationality. Children were viewed as of great value as they represent the posterity of society and a gift from their ancestors. We conclude that a people’s construction of childhood has a bearing on upholding child rights hence it is important for social workers to have an understanding of their clients’ views on childhood to effectively prevent child rights violations.

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Data Availability

The data set for which this study is based was submitted to the funding university for storage as per the university protocols.

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Funding

The study received financial assistance from the University of Pretoria, Postgraduate Office scholarships in form of a bursary awarded to the study. This article is based on a PhD study submitted to the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work & Criminology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Samuel Lisenga Simbine & Liana le Roux

  2. School of Social Work, Midlands State University, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Samuel Lisenga Simbine & Noel Garikai Muridzo

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  1. Samuel Lisenga Simbine
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  2. Liana le Roux
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The three authors contributed equally in coming up with this research article.

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Correspondence to Samuel Lisenga Simbine.

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All the participants consented for their views to be used for further research publications on conditions that their names and identity remain protected. In this article, the identity of participants is concealed in line with the agreement reached with the participants during the data collection stage.

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The manuscript titled “An exploration of the Vatsonga people’s markers of childhood” is not under consideration elsewhere nor has it been published elsewhere. We also commit not to submit the manuscript, for publication elsewhere without the agreement of the Managing Editor.

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The study was approved by the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Humanities Ethics Committee under the reference number GW20170520HS.

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Simbine, S.L., le Roux, L. & Muridzo, N.G. An Exploration of the Vatsonga People’s Markers of Childhood. J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work 8, 123–133 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-022-00237-w

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