A Violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes na Cidade do Natal: direitos garantidos ou negados?

This study presents the issue of sexual violence against children and adolescents in the city of Natal RN from a critical approach over the work carried out at the Delegacia Especializada em Defesa da Criança e Adolescente DCA, with the perspective towards guaranteeing their rights. It is constituted of an analysis under a theoretical-methodological focus, both quantitative and qualitative, taking as a premise the sexual violence against children and adolescents in its social, legal, historical, cultural and economical dimensions that are behind this issue. The established course between knowledge and methodology involved: a conceptual analysis of the sexual violence, a research in the official records of the Public Power, the application of questionnaires with the coordinators of social projects and programmes, the accomplishment of interviews with key institutional actors and mothers of victimized children and adolescents, besides the analysis of quantitative indicators from the data made available by the DCA. The research took place within the Delegacia Especializada em Defesa da Criança e Adolescente, and also took for reference the information from institutions that develop actions directed towards children and adolescents victims of sexual abuse. Through this study, the strategies and the contradictions existing in the struggle against sexual violence towards children and adolescents implemented by the Public Power were learnt, the need for a greater articulation was identified to guarantee their rights and it also allowed for the tracing of a panorama of the sexual violence against children and adolescents in the period from 2001 to 2004 in the city of Natal-RN