ABSTRACT International research has shown that young people in residential care experience challenges and are often exposed to risks that compromise their physical and emotional safety. In particular, the literature has begun to account for the interpersonal difficulties that children and young people have with their peers: concerns about bullying, harassment, peer sexual and physical violence and exploitation. This paper builds on this literature, drawing from a study for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse where 27 children and young people living in residential care discussed their experiences of safety. Although they reported abuse and harm (including exposure to peer violence and bullying and exploitation from outsiders) and how their peers’ experiences affected their sense of safety, our study also uncovered ways that young people supported each other and provided them relationships that were protective. The implications for policy and practice, including the need to strengthen peer relationships and foster positive peer cultures are explored.

中文翻译：

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残酷的欺凌者和保护同辈：年轻人如何在住宅护理中互相帮助或阻碍彼此的安全

摘要国际研究表明，住宿照顾中的年轻人会遇到挑战，并经常面临危及人身和情感安全的风险。特别是，文献已经开始说明儿童和年轻人与同伴之间的人际关系困难：对欺凌，骚扰，同伴性暴力和肉体暴力以及剥削的担忧。本文基于这些文献，是根据皇家委员会对儿童性虐待的机构反应的一项研究得出的，该研究中居住在寄养机构中的27名儿童和年轻人讨论了他们的安全经验。尽管他们报告了虐待和伤害（包括遭受同伴暴力以及来自外部人的欺凌和剥削），以及同伴的经历如何影响他们的安全感，我们的研究还揭示了年轻人相互支持的方式，并为他们提供了保护性关系。探讨了对政策和实践的影响，包括加强同伴关系和建立积极的同伴文化的必要性。