Picturing safety and danger: Children's perspectives in rural Sierra Leone

Abstract

The question of dangers and safety in children's lives has become a matter of increasing concern. This paper aims to contribute to the discussion in this field and elaborate on children's experiences of risks and dangers in the context of chronic poverty. Drawing on the post-humanism approach, we argue that children's conceptions of risks and dangers emerge through their active and mutual exchange with other human and non-human beings such as rivers, trees, animals and insects, however, these perceptions should be carefully placed within the local socio-economic context of poverty and social hierarchy.