O atendimento a famílias em situação de abuso sexual : um estudo exploratório

Resumo Ingles

This study intended to investigate and to reflect on dimensions of the work developed with families dealing with sexual abuse. The general objective of this research was to understand the characteristics of families that experienced situations of sexual abuse and were assisted by an Especialized Referral Center of Social Assistance (CREAS – Centro de Referência Especializado de Assistência Social) in the Federal District and also to identify the modalities of assistance provided to them. The specific objectives were to identify the families‟ socio-demographical and structural data; the situations of sexual abuse experienced, the nature of the violence, where it took place and the aggressor‟s relationship to the victim; verify the modality of assistance provided as well as of the referrals; and to point out the challenges faced by the professional staff. The data were collected through the reading of forty (40) records of families assisted by the CREAS in Ceilândia, in accordance with a literature based guideline elaborated for this purpose. The data collected indicated that the families assisted were mostly young, single-parent and had low levels of education. Most cases of sexual abuse were intrafamilial, the majority of victims were girls and the aggressors were fathers and stepfathers. The number of sessions provided to the families was low despite the complexity of the situations faced. Several issues deserved attention in the discussion of the results: the difficulty to deal with aspects of sexuality with families in the context of sexual abuse; the silence that surrounds families as well as the staff in these situations; the difficulties in dealing with young children and with children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities who were sexually abused; and the need to invest on the service network articulation. It became evident that it is essential to establish criteria and to create protocols to foster all phases of case management – first contact, care, and closure. These protocols should include the monitoring of actions and referrals provided, in order to ensure that the family had access to the community services that they needed in order to be strengthened. It is also important to make an ongoing investment in training the professionals, in order to qualify the interventions provided. Moreover, it is fundamental to create space for the evaluation and the discussion of the caseload so the staff can process the difficulties and the obstacles they encounter daily.