Findings from an intervention on the prevention of sexual abuse of children from mayan communities in Mexico

Abstract

The University Unit of the Victimology Clinic and Research (UNIVICT) from the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY) in southeastern Mexico has designed, implemented, and evaluated a program to prevent child sexual abuse called “Word of mouth: No one touches my body.” Its objective was to develop children’s skills for detecting situations involving sexual abuse risk and protection strategies to prevent it. The program identified that the most vulnerable population corresponded to children from 5 to 10 years old. Some of the reasons for their vulnerability that were discovered through this process are the developmental characteristics typical of the phase they are in regarding relationships with people who could present a high risk. Moreover, the children do not always consider their parents trustworthy people to go to for help, as well as the difficulties in identifying risk situations related to keeping secrets without having alternatives of how to act if confronted with them. This article aims to present the program evaluation that was carried out two years after its application. The results show the achieved scope of the program’s primary objectives, as well as the importance of including recreational strategies and activities that consider culturally relevant elements in preventive actions of child sexual abuse.