Protagonism of adolescents in planning actions to prevent sexual violence

Abstract

Objective: to investigate the knowledge and attitude of school adolescents regarding sexual violence. Method: a qualitative study with data gathering, based on Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, conducted in April 2018 with 12 adolescents from a state school in Recife, using the focus group technique. For data systematization, thematic content analysis was used in the following steps: pre-analysis, material exploration, treatment of results and interpretation. Results: three thematic categories were established: adolescents’ perceptions of sexual violence; reflective construction of adolescents on the factors of exposure to sexual violence; and facilitating aspects for the prevention of adolescent sexual violence. Conclusion: the perception of adolescents regarding sexual violence is influenced by cultural, structural, social, economic, psychological and biological aspects, which should be considered in the planning of actions aimed at preventing sexual violence for this public.