Voz das Crianças

The notion of "voice" has been used as a powerful legitimator in child-hood, underlined by the concept of empowerment: enabling children to share their views and opinions; and to participate in decision -making. It is used in childhood research in a variety of ways, but most commonly as a noun that represents either children’s perspectives on their own lives or the process that captures children’s views and experiences or both. Over time, the term children’s voice has developed from simply listening to children directly as participants in research studies, to using methodologies that reflect children as experts in their own lives and involving them throughout research processes. The term "voice" has become ubiquitous in childhood research. The concept of children’s voice has become increasingly contested, however, for example, by post -structuralists and those in the field of children’s rights. Moreover, a number of tensions have emerged from scholars in childhood studies who have questioned the perceived authenticity and representation of children’s voices, and the influence of power between adults and children in processes, which not only seek children’s voices, but also produce them.