INTRODUCTION

Over the past 50 years, social research has been interested in Children’s expression and participation. A large number of child-centered research projects bear witness to their life experience and reality in various areas of their lives.

But what about research in law? While social research has developed several methods for collecting Children’s views, the latter still remains to be developed in the field of law. This is particularly so when it involves offering a path to indigenous children for accessing the justice system.

Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates children must be able to express themselves freely on matters that concern them. Beyond this principle, however, some challenges remain to putting this into practice. In this sense, Children’s participation in the development of public policy poses methodological challenges, in particular, in an indigenous context. In the context of research efforts with indigenous children, how does one meet the imperatives of the research, while also ensuring that the approach is culturally safe? Ensuring that the approach is culturally safe means that the culture, values, and identity of the participants are valued and respected.

This contribution presents a participatory research method that would appear to be particularly well adapted to this objective: Photovoice. Using photography and narration as a tool for expression,n their own way how they wish to be treated and heard.

PHOTOVOICE

ORIGIN AND PROCESS OF IMPLEMENTATION

First, the origin of Photovoice should be presented, along with the ways of implementing the various steps in this method. We will then see the principal means of undertaking data collection and analysis, based on photographs taken by the participants. Following this, we look at the ethical challenges to bear in mind, both on the part of the researchers and also among the participants, who, through their engagement in a participatory community initiative, are also themselves co-investigators.

Photovoice is a qualitative and participatory research method for which photography constitutes the primary medium and basis for participants to express themselves.