On the Ethics of Getting the Word Out: Rural Girls Reflect on Ownership in Participatory Visual Research in Rural South Africa

Abstract

Despite the growing body of literature dedicated to ethical and methodological issues related to youth engagement and youth participation in arts-based research, the ethics of ownership in relation to the production and sharing of visual artefacts remains an understudied area. This work is particularly critical in the context of war-affected youth, and youth addressing issues of gender-based violence in their lives. Drawing on the voices and perspectives of a group of girls and young women affected by sexual violence in rural South Africa, we explore their views on the idea of ownership of the visual productions (videos, photos, policy briefs) created in an arts-based research project. As we highlight in the article, ownership is a complex ethical issue, and one that cuts across a range of concerns including consent, rights and personal engagement.