Treatment to adult perpetrators of intrafamilial sexual abuse in Brazil: psychodrama as strategy

Abstract

The Brazilian policy to combat sexual violence emphasizes the importance of protecting victims, as well as accounting for and taking care of the perpetrator. The aim of this paper is to describe one strategy that is being used to address difficult issues – such as the processes of offenders’ own victimization itself, the expression of sexuality and sexual desire for children – in the context of psychosocial interventions for adult sexual offenders against children and adolescents. The strategies adopted are based on psychodrama techniques, which facilitate the overcoming of emotional obstacles to these issues, creating a playful environment during the intervention, providing conditions for reflection, expression of feelings, decreased tension, and which contribute to integration and group engagement in the tasks. This option avoids a confrontational position and favours the development of empathy.