Gendered Violence in the Life Courses of Women Who Were Placed in Child Welfare Institutions As Girls

In this article, I examine how gendered violence has manifested and possibly accumulated in the life courses of women who were placed in a child welfare institution as girls. In my previous research, I identified that the fragile sense of belonging and a high risk of experiencing sexual violence can be found as the two gendered vulnerabilities of this group of girls. Furthermore, young people placed in child welfare institutions are said to have many vulnerabilities, such as behavioral disorders, school challenges, family problems, run-aways, substance use and crime. Studies also indicate that Finnish young people who would need more a psychiatric treatment, are placed in child welfare institutions instead.

Child protection should, as its name suggests, protect children and young people from themselves as well as from harmful environmental factors. However, based on previous studies, it is clear that the Finnish child welfare does not fulfill this task. Instead, placement into a child welfare institution diversifies and strengthens the vulnerabilities of young people. In addition, research statistics do not predict a bright future for these young people, as these vulnerabilities rather accumulate in their life.

To ensure up-to-date knowledge, I limit this research to the experiences of those girls who were placed in the child protection institutions during 2000-2010s in Finland. The data is collected by interview methods in the first half of 2025. I analyze the data through the theorization on gendered violence and belonging from an intersectional perspective.

In this article, I present the main findings as well as the data-driven recommendations on how the girls in out-of-home care ought to be supported gender responsible. I also aim to spark a discussion on whether child protection institutions are suitable places to support multidimensionally vulnerable girls and what other options should be considered.