Eradicating Child Sexual Abuse in Recife and Pernambuco

Since 2018 the Lucy Faithfull Foundation has been working with partner agencies in the Recife and Pernambuco area of Brazil, exploring best practice in relation to the prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Following the methodology laid out in the ECSA online Toolkit (https://ecsa.lucyfaithfull.org/toolkit) we have worked with the organisation Ideario and local NGOs and statutory bodies to identify what the problems and concerns are locally in relation to scale and nature of this issue locally. We have also mapped strengths and resources in relation to the prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Our first report outlines some of our findings and our calls to action.

Our calls to action include:

· Investment is needed in baselines, assessments and prevalence studies of the problem for child sexual abuse and exploitation in Recife and Pernambuco as well as in-depth systematic analysis of data on a regular basis;

· Implementation of abuse prevention programmes and projects in schools and other spaces and engagement with parents about practical things that can be done in relation to prevention;

· Information provided to parents around identification and reporting of sexual abuse;

· Ongoing training for the professionals around prevention;

· Better joined up responses to sexual abuse and exploitation after it has been identified;

· Adoption of a public-health approach to child sexual abuse prevention and explorations of how to adapt evidence-based interventions from other jurisdiction in ways that will work effectively locally.

The Reports

The report on the current situation of child sexual abuse and exploitation in Recife and Pernambuco, developed by Ideário Consultoria, with support from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, in collaboration with various experts, public agencies and local civil society institutions, provides a comprehensive view on the issue, based on available information, to inform and strengthen strategies for preventing and responding to this serious violation of children's rights.

Based on extensive review of the literature and research on the databases of the federal government and data collection with local institutions in the area of health, law enforcement and social assistance, as well as on the online abuse reporting channels, the document outlines an overview of the dimension and nature of violence, where it occurs, the profile of victims and perpetrators. It also identifies gaps in current knowledge and data, already pointing to the needs of future research. Finally, it presents what is being done by the country, state of Pernambuco, civil society and local child protection network, and proposes challenges, opportunities and recommendations for prevention strategies.