Listening Differently: Centring Children and Young People's Voices in Understanding Sexual Violence

In response to Alan Davies’ paper ‘The child’s discovery of social class,’ this article reflects on how contemporary sociology can build on his insights to explore young people's views on sexual violence. Drawing on doctoral research with young people from Northeast England on sexual violence prevention, this article calls for validating children and young people's distinct knowledge and language, which can complement terms commonly used in policy and research. It presents young people's agency as relational and temporal, exercised individually and collectively amid constraints. It advocates for embracing uncertainty and reflecting critically on whose knowledge and voices are represented in sociological research. Building on Davies’ pioneering work, this article proposes alternative approaches to listening and engaging with young people that recognise their perspectives as vital in co-developing solutions to sexual violence and promoting social change.