CHAPTER 5 VIEWS AND PERSPECTIVES OF CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY 4.2 Coping with Adversity In spite of the serious nature of the threats around them, some of the children showed resilience and an ability to adapt to the adverse circumstances in which they found themselves. ‘We shower room by room. We got used to it, even if we wanted or not. We had no choice’. (M/17/1:EEG) A few children justified the use of detention as a warning that got them back on track by allowing them to think about the consequences of their behaviour and about their future. ‘It was a bad experience which helped them grow, learn, work hard, be active and think about their family and about the future’. (M/18-21/1:EEG) They said that facilities focussed on rehabilitation and reintegration provided them with opportunities to engage in purposeful activities, such as education and vocational courses, to enhance their life skills. ‘I got a lot of courses at [rehabilitation centre]. These courses include sewing and computer courses, and I have been enrolled in a literacy class. These programs are useful for me and after my detention period I can work in a sewing workshop’. (MF/1218/1:AFG) While remaining vulnerable to the risks and harms associated with detention, some participants described processes that helped them tolerate the negative effects of stress and conflict. They identified the need for social and other support mechanisms associated with successful adjustment that also enabled them to avoid reoffending. ‘They teach about moral life, how to live, teach vocational skills so that we have some work skill and prepared us to return back to the society.’ (MF/12-18:1/APG) ‘Support with drug and alcohol addiction’. (M/16/1:WEOG) The majority described circumstances that led them to feel powerless about their futures, but they also demonstrated resilience and used behaviours and personal relationships to cope while in detention. ‘At first I was a bit scared, but after a while I became happy because I have a lot of friends here, we shower together, sleep together, eat together, go for outings together. Friends out there are so different from friends in here’. (M/10-18 /1:APG) 106