Myriam Denov, Associate Professor

Myriam Denov is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work. Her research and teaching interests lie in the areas of children and youth in adversity, and international social work, with an emphasis on war and political violence, children in armed conflict, and gender-based violence. She has worked nationally and internationally with former child soldiers, survivors of sexual violence, and people living with HIV/AIDS. Her current research, supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), is exploring the militarization and reintegration experiences of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Colombia. Myriam Denov has presented expert evidence in court on child soldiers and has served as an advisor to government and NGOs on children in armed conflict, and girls in fighting forces. Her recent book Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front, is published by Cambridge University Press. For more information, click here.

Myriam Denov holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge where she was a Commonwealth Scholar. She joined McGill University in 2006. Prior to coming to McGill, she was an undergraduate supervisor and guest lecturer at the University of Cambridge, and a professor at the University of Ottawa.

Denov's work has focused on the lived experiences of some of the world's most marginalized children and youth. As the principal investigator of a study on child soldiers in Sierra Leone, Denov, alongside local partners at Defence for Children International Sierra Leone, conducted in-depth fieldwork with boys and girls recruited into armed groups during Sierra Leone's decade-civil war, examining children's experiences as both victims and perpetrators of violence. Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the study explored the -term effects of children's involvement in armed conflict, as well as the rehabilitation needs of child soldiers following demobilization. Since completing this study, Denov has continued to research and publish in a number of areas related to children and youth in adversity, war and political violence, and gender and security. Denov's current work in Sierra Leone is employing the photovoice methodology with a group of former child soldiers living in a slum community in Freetown. Photovoice is a community-based participatory research method that combines photography, community awareness building, group discussions, and social action. Former child soldiers have been trained in photography and are using cameras to document their daily lives, as well as illustrate issues of concern to them and to their community. In addition, Denov's research projects are exploring the -term reintegration of child soldiers in Sierra Leone and Colombia, the resettlement experiences of unaccompanied refugee minors in Canada, the realities of war-affected youth living in Canada, and juvenile justice issues in Canada and Sierra Leone.

Denov's recent publications have examined post-war education and gender parity, wartime sexual violence, children's agency and resistance during conflict, the unique realities of girls in armed groups, the reintegration of former child soldiers in the aftermath of war, and the realities of unaccompanied and separated children in Canada. Denov has also conducted research projects in the areas of child sexual abuse, children rights, and continues to collaborate with both academic and community partners on national and international child related research projects.

---

Education

Ph.D. Criminology (University of Cambridge)

M.A. Criminologie (Université d'Ottawa)

B.S.W. Social Work (McGill University)

B.A.(honours) (University of Toronto) Sociology & Criminology

---

Employment

2006-present Associate Professor
McGill University, Faculty of Arts, School of Social Work

2005-2006 Associate Professor
University of Ottawa, Department of Criminology

2000-2005 Assistant Professor
University of Ottawa, Department of Criminology

1999-2000 Undergraduate Supervisor
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law

1999-2000 Guest Lecturer
University of Cambridge
'Fieldwork and Ethical Issues in Criminological Research.' M.Phil. course: Research Methods, University of Cambridge, Institute of Criminology, November, 1999. 'Feminist Perspectives on Victimization.' Undergraduate course: Crime, Deviance and their Control, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, February, 2000.
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law

1996-1997 Research Assistant
University of Cambridge, Institute of Criminology

Areas of interest:

* War and political violence
* Children and armed conflict
* Post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding
* Gender and War; Gender-based violence
* International social work
* Juvenile justice

Children and Armed Conflict
Myriam Denov is the principal investigator on a SSHRC-funded research project which is exploring the militarization and reintegration of children (both boys and girls) in fighting forces in Sierra Leone and Colombia. The project is being conducted in partnership with local, community-based organizations in each country.

International Children's Rights Through funding from the Canadian International Development Agency, Myriam Denov has been the principal investigator on a project exploring children's rights and protection issues in developing countries. As part of this project, she has co-edited a book entitled Children's Rights and International Development: Lessons and Challenges from the Field (with Richard Maclure and Kathryn Campbell). The book has been published by Palgrave Macmillan Press.

Juvenile Justice Merging her background and interest in criminology and youth studies, Denov continues to conduct research in the realm of youth justice both nationally and internationally. She is currently involved in a study, led by Professor Jim Torczyner and funded by Heritage Canada, addressing juvenile justice issues in Montreal's Black community. She is also partnering with Defence for Children International, Sierra Leone on a project on juvenile justice in Sierra Leone.

Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Canada Funded by the International Development Research Centre, Denov has been the principal investigator on a project exploring the migration and resettlement experiences of unaccompanied and separated children in Canada. The project aims to contribute to the development and/or improvement of policies and programs oriented towards children's protection, integration and resettlement.

Recent grants

2007-2011
Social Science & Humanities Research Council of Canada
$195,993
The Making and Unmaking of Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka: Child and Youth Perspectives on Militarization and Reintegration
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2007-2009
International Development Research Centre
$35,000
Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Canada
Myriam Denov, (PI) Michéal Montgomery, Simon Atem

---

2007-2009
McGill University, Faculty of Arts
$13,500
Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Canada
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2006-2008
McGill University, Arts Insights Initiative
$5,000
Unaccompanied and Separated Children in Canada
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2005-2008
Canadian International Development Agency
$270,000
Children Rights and International Development: Research, Challenges and Change
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2006-2007
International Development Research Centre
$25,000
Children Rights and International Development:
Research, Challenges and Change
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2002-2004
Canadian International Development Agency
$128,000
Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone:
Experiences, Implications and Strategies for Rehabilitation and Reintegration
Myriam Denov (PI), Richard Maclure, Abdul Manaff Kemokai

---

2004-2007
Interfaculty Collaborative Research, University of Ottawa
$20,000
Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone:
Experiences, Implications and Strategies for Rehabilitation and Reintegration
Myriam Denov (PI), Richard Maclure

---

2006
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Social Sciences
$9,000
The Militarization and Reintegration of Child Soldiers in Sri Lanka
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2005
University of Ottawa, Faculty of Social Sciences
$15,830
Children Rights and International Development: Research, Challenges and Changes
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2002-2003
Seed Grant Funding, University of Ottawa
$11,000
Child Soldiers:
The Implications of Children's Involvement in Armed Conflict
Myriam Denov (PI)

---

2002
University of Ottawa
$4,000
Inhalant Abuse among Innu Children: Community Perspectives and Approaches to Intervention
Kathryn Campbell (PI), Myriam Denov

---

2001-2002
Solicitor General of Canada
$12,000
Wrongful Conviction:
Perspectives, Experiences and Implications for Justice
Kathryn Campbell (PI), Myriam Denov

---

2002
Law Commission of Canada
$2,000
Wrongful Conviction:
Perspectives, Experiences and Implications for Justice
Kathryn Campbell (PI), Myriam Denov

---

Denov, M., Maclure, R. and Campbell, K. (eds.) (in press, 2011) Children's Rights and International Development: Lessons and Challenges from the Field. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Bryan, C. and Denov, M., (in press, 2011) "Separated Children in Canada: The Construction of Risk Identity". Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies.

Denov, M., (in press, 2011) "Social Navigation and Power in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone: Reflections from a Former Child Soldier Turned Bike Rider". In Ozerdem A. and Podder, S. (eds.) Child Soldiers: From Recruitment to Reintegration. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Denov, M., and Bryan, C. (in press, 2011) "Unaccompanied Refugee Children in Canada: Experiences and Perspectives on Resettlement". Canadian Social Work Review.

Campbell, K. and Denov, M., (in press, 2011) Failed Justice: Wrongful Convictions in Canada. In Roberts, J. (ed.) Criminal Justice in Canada: A Reader. Toronto: Nelson Canada.

Denov, M. (2010), Child Soldiers: Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Denov, M. (2010) "Coping with the Trauma of War: Former Child Soldiers in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone". International Social Work, 53, 6: 791-806.

Denov, M., (2010) "Child soldiers and Iconography: Portrayals and (Mis)Representations" Children and Society. DOI: 10.1111/j.1099-0860.2010.00347.x

Solomon, I. & Denov, M., (2010) "Militarized Bodies: The Global Militarization of Children's lives". In Hörschelmann, K. and Colls, R. (eds.) Contested Bodies of Childhood and Youth. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Press.

Maclure, R. & Denov, M., (2009) "Reconstruction versus Transformation: Post-War Education and the Struggle for Gender Parity in Sierra Leone." International Journal of Educational Development, 29, 612-620.

Denov, M., & Maclure, R. (2009) "Girls and Small Arms in Sierra Leone: Victimization, Participation and Resistance". In Farr, V., Myrttinen, H. and Schnabel, A. (eds.) Sexed Pistols: The Gendered Impacts of Small Arms and Light Weapons. Tokyo: United Nations University Press.

Denov, M., and Gervais, C. (2008) "Negotiating (In)Security: Agency, Resistance and Resourcefulness among Girls Formerly Associated with Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front". In Hawkesworth, M. and Alexander, K. (eds.) Feminist Perspectives on War and Terror. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Denov, M., (2008) "Girl Soldiers and Human Rights: Lessons from Angola, Mozambique, Northern Uganda and Sierra Leone." International Journal of Human Rights, 12, 5: 811-833.

Denov, M., and Campbell, K. (2008) "When Justice Fails: Understanding Wrongful Conviction." In Roberts, J. and Grossman, M. (eds.) Criminal Justice in Canada: A reader. Toronto: Nelson Canada.

Jordan, K. & Denov, M., (2007) Birds of Freedom? Perspectives on Female Emancipation and Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Journal of International Women's Studies, 9, 1.

Denov, M., & Maclure, R. (2007) "Turnings and Epiphanies: Militarization, Life Histories and the Making and Unmaking of Two Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone." Journal of Youth Studies, 10, 2: 243-261.

Denov, M., (2007) "Youth Justice and Children's Rights: Transformations in Canada's Youth Justice System". In Howe, B. & Covell, K. A Question of Commitment: Children's Rights in Canada. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Denov, M., (2007) Girls in fighting Forces: Moving Beyond Victimhood. Report prepared for the government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency.

Denov, M., & Gervais, C. (2007) "Negotiating (In)Security: Agency, Resistance and the Experiences of Girls Formerly Associated with Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front." Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 32, 4: 857-910.

Denov, M., (2006) "Wartime Sexual Violence: Assessing a Human Security Response to War-affected Girls in Sierra Leone" Security Dialogue, 37, 3: 319-342.

Maclure, R. & Denov, M., (2006) "'I Didn't Want to Die So I Joined Them': Structuration and the Process of Becoming Boy Soldiers in Sierra Leone". Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence, 18, 1, 119-135.

Denov, M., & Maclure, R. (2006) "Engaging the Voices of Girls in the Aftermath of Sierra Leone's Conflict: Experiences and Perspectives in a Culture of Violence". Anthropologica, 48, 1: 73-85.

Denov, M., (2006) "Sexual Violence against Girls during Situations of Armed Conflict". In Sturt, S. N. (ed.) New Developments in Child Abuse Research. Nova Science Publishers.

Denov, M., & Cortoni, F. (2006) "Women Who Sexually Abuse Children". In Hilarski, C. & Wodarski, J. (eds.) Comprehensive Mental Health Practice with Sex Offenders and their Families. New York: Haworth Press.

Denov, M., (2006) Children's Rights and International Development: Research Challenges and Change. Report prepared for the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency.

Denov, M., (2005) Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone. Report prepared for the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency.

Denov, M., & Campbell, K. (2005) "Criminal Injustice: Understanding the Causes, Effects and Responses to Wrongful Conviction in Canada". Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 21, 3, 224-249.

Denov, M., (2005) "Children's Rights, Juvenile Justice and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Implications for Canada". In Campbell, K. (ed.) Understanding Juvenile Justice in Canada. Toronto: Pearson Education.

Denov, M., (2005) "Karla Faye Tucker". In Bosworth, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities. London: Sage Publications.

Denov, M., (2005) "Political Prisoners". In Bosworth, M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Prisons and Correctional Facilities. London: Sage Publications.

Denov, M., (2004) Perspectives on Female Sex Offending: A Culture of Denial. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.

Campbell, K. & Denov, M., (Guest Editors) (2004) "Wrongful Conviction: Perspectives, Experiences and Implications for Justice". The Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 46, 2.

Denov, M., (2004) "Children's Rights or Rhetoric? Assessing Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act and its Compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child". International Journal of Children's Rights, 12, 1, 1-20.

Denov, M., (2004) "The -term Effects of Child Sexual Abuse by Female Perpetrators: A Qualitative Study of Male and Female Victims". Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19, 10, 1137-1156.

Campbell, K. & Denov, M., (2004) "The Burden of Innocence: Coping with a Wrongful Imprisonment". Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 46, 2, 139-164.

Denov, M., & Campbell, K. (2004) "Introduction". In Campbell, K. & Denov, M. (Guest Editors) "Wrongful Conviction: Perspectives, Experiences and Implications for Justice". The Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 46, 2.

Denov, M., & Campbell, K. (2004) "Wrongful Conviction in Canada". In Roberts, J. and Grossman, M. (eds.) Criminal Justice in Canada: A Reader. Toronto: Nelson Canada.

Denov, M., (2003) "To a Safer Place? Victims of Sexual Abuse by Females and their Disclosures to Professionals". Child Abuse and Neglect, 27, 1, 47-61.

Denov, M., (2003) "The Myth of Innocence: Sexual Scripts and the Recognition of Child Sexual Abuse by Female Perpetrators". Journal of Sex Research,40, 3, 303-315.

Denov, M., & Campbell, K. (2002) "Casualties of Aboriginal Displacement in Canada: Children at Risk among the Innu of Labrador". Refuge: Canada's Periodical on Refugees 20, 2, 21-33.

Campbell, K., Denov, M., & Edgar, J. (2002) Report on the Conference on Wrongful Conviction: Experiences, Implications and Moving Towards Justice. Ottawa: Solicitor General of Canada.

Denov, M., (2001) "A Culture of Denial: Exploring Professional Perspectives on Female Sex Offending". Canadian Journal of Criminology 43, 3, 303-329.