Children and adolescents’ voices and the implications for ethical research

Abstract

A discussion on the ethical context and barriers to include children’s voices in research and clarify the role of Research Ethic Committees. Twenty-one researchers from eight countries participated in two focus groups and ten individual in-depth interviews. The results highlight the need for reforming ethical regulations to facilitate greater and more meaningful participation of children and adolescent in research. This reform, however, requires a paradigm shift to balance the notions of protecting children and adolescents from harm with empowerment and autonomy.