“We saw and heard things no child should ever see and hear.” Rwandan youth narratives of enduring intimate partner violence between parents

BACKGROUND: In Rwanda, childhood experiences of intimate partner violence (CEIPV) have rarely been documented through direct youth voices. Most available studies rely on adult informants or external indicators. OBJECTIVE: This study explored how Rwandan youth narrate and make meaning of their CEIPV and how these experiences affected their childhoods and later lives. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Thirteen youth aged 22-25 years with histories of CEIPV participated in the study. All were living in Kigali or its outskirts at the time of recruitment. METHODS: Using a collective narrative methodology, the study drew on storytelling, peer witnessing, and co-generation of a collective narrative document. The data used in this paper came mainly from the Tree of Life narrative process. Stories were audio-recorded and transcribed in Kinyarwanda, translated into English, and analyzed using collective narrative analysis. RESULTS: Seven interwoven themes were identified: distorted growth: our growth was distorted like a tree cut when it is still small, witnessing harm: we saw things no child's eyes should ever see, hearing violence: we heard things no young ears should ever hear, denied opportunities: we were denied opportunities, even when enough resources existed, dying inside: we endured the kind of death where a person stands tall but is dying inside, lingering effects: the residue of wounds, and commitment to healing: it is not the end. These narratives revealed not only the impact of CEIPV, but also the knowledge and power of the youth to tell their own story. CONCLUSION: By centering youth narratives, this study offers a more grounded account of what CEIPV looked and felt like from the perspective of those who lived through it. The findings underscore the need for child protection, education, and mental health systems to recognize CEIPV more explicitly and to take youth's own accounts seriously in research, policy, and intervention.