Jarrett Davis
up! International
Jarrett is an independent social researcher and consultant on child and vulnerable person's rights, specializing in exploitation and violence. Since 2012, his work has focused on developing a better understanding of people groups that are often overlooked in research, policy, and social development initiatives. He has led a variety studies with Love146 and other international and regional NGOs and educational institutions, focusing on violence against males, street-involved children, and LGBTQ persons in the SE Asia region. Jarrett completed his graduate studies in Intercultural Communication in the Philippines, where his thesis focused on social identity and identity development among marginalized people groups on the outskirts of Metro-Manila, Philippines. He is currently based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia where he consults on a variety of social research projects across the region.
The global reality of exploitation and violence transcends gender, race, and socio-economic realities. Despite this reality, much social research in this area commonly focuses its attention on household prevalence studies,... [ view full abstract ]
The global reality of exploitation and violence transcends gender, race, and socio-economic realities. Despite this reality, much social research in this area commonly focuses its attention on household prevalence studies, with a particular focus on the vulnerabilities of women and girls. While these studies can be useful, they often belie the fact that a significant amount of exploitation and violence occurs to persons outside of households and/or those not appearing in national population measures, including boys and young men. Phenomenological studies on child vulnerability continue to show young men, boys, and transgender persons to be greatly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and other (often severe) forms of violence--particularly among those living and/or working on the streets.
This research provides a baseline of information and initial analysis of the key vulnerabilities and potential resiliencies of children and youth living and/or working along the Thai-Cambodian border area in Poipet, Cambodia. The study partners with social service providers along the Thai-Cambodian border area in Poipet, Cambodia to conduct 80 semi-structured interviews with street-involved girls and boys aged 11 to 18 years of age. The interviews explore a number of key areas of the respondents’ lives including: demographics, social / familial relationships, migration, financial security, experiences of violence and sexual abuse, health and wellbeing, and future plans.
The study finds very high rates of physical, sexual, and emotional violence among street-involved children, with particular vulnerabilities to violence and significantly less parental care noted among male respondents. The paper aims to provide a more nuanced and informed discussion on child and youth vulnerabilities in this area from a phenomenological perspective, and provide an information resource for social service providers, policy makers, child protection advocates, and social researchers in the region.
