Agency does not mean freedom. Cape Verdean street children and the politics of children's agency

“Why are we put in prison?”– Independent Guatemalan minor migrants’ experiences of transnational childhoods

“…Furthermore, based on the findings of a child-centered qualitative research approach, this contribution drew attention to how special protective measures for deported migrant minors, in accordance with international and national children's rights, were interpreted by some of the involved youths as a sanctioning of their actions (by being "put in prison"). Consequently, there is a need for more qualitative research aimed at understanding the relational connection between young migrants' agency and their vulnerability as well as their own understandings of those concepts (see Bordonaro, 2014;Mizen & Ofosu-Kusi, 2013). In the face of what Gibney identifies to be a "deportation turn" in the biopolitical regulation of mobility, future research should take into account questions of agency and vulnerability not only in migration processes but also in deportation processes (see Drotbohm, 2013, p. 2).…”

“…This seems to be another example of blaming and sanctioning of the youths' agency, as Vacchiano and Jiménez (2014) describe it in the case of Moroccan youths' experiences of migration to Europe. It also provides an example of the interwovenness of protection and "correction" Bordonaro depicts when analyzing the "politics of children's agency" in the case of Cape Verdean street children (see Bordonaro, 2014). Even though designed as a protective space, the Guatemalan shelter, too, seemed to exhibit features of a closed institution: a padlocked iron bar construction installed at the entrance preventing uncontrolled leaving and entering, 18 as well as a locked backyard framed with barbed wire to prevent the youth from "escaping."…”

The Child of the Common: Governing Children in the Freetown Christiania, Denmark

“…In mainstream Western societies, children are kept under close surveillance and supervision, due to a wish to protect them from dangers in public space (Bordonaro, ; Harden, ; Smith, ; Villanueva and others, ). Earlier research shows that children in intentional communities are subjected to a lesser degree of protection and surveillance.…”

Youth, Geography of

“…However, for some young people living on the streets, there is an agency and freedom that they resist relinquishing (Bordonaro, 2012). 'Where' young people are is a central theme within youth geographies.…”