Vulnerabilities of young people: going beyond the public-private dichotomy

Across many societies, young people spend much of their childhood within the private sphere. Considered a place of safety and security for young people, the private sphere often is a site of vulnerability. This article demonstrates that the public-private dichotomy obscures potential dangers facing young people. We propose an analytical framework consisting of public, market, social, and individual sectors that can be used to comprehend more clearly threats young people face amidst contradictions and conflicts of living in public and private spheres. We apply a multi-sector, life course framework to three types of bodily control that affect young people’s lives across eleven countries: assault, sale, and consent. After an analysis of these three types of bodily control, the article concludes by identifying questions and research areas that may lead to greater insights into vulnerabilities young people encounter in the private sphere.