Abstract

MASCARENHAS, Leonardo Balbino; CARDOSO, Fernanda De Lazari; ROCHA, Gilmar  and  MACHADO, Marília Novais da Mata. Violence and fear permeating children’s and teenagers’ sexual exploitation. Psicol. rev. (Belo Horizonte) [online]. 2006, vol.12, n.20, pp.193-213. ISSN 1677-1168.

In 2004, a research work carried out by the Programa Pólos de Cidadania (Citizenship Focus Program) of the Law School of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG detected the commercial sexual exploitation of children and teenagers as one of the main problems of human rights violation in the Medium Jequitinhonha Valley (State of Minas Gerais, Brazil). In the following two years, aiming to prevent sexual exploitation by creating work and income, the Citizenship Focus Program developed a broad research-action project in the region. This work goes on sponsored by the Human Rights Special Secretary of the Brazilian Presidency. The article revisits data collected in the field work, especially interviews with children and teenagers in the region. It aims to analyze the persistence of violence and fear in the region, and their relation with children’s and teenagers’ sexual exploitation. Violence and fear are recurrent categories in the analyzed discourses. Sexual exploitation, a form of physical violence, is one of their manifestations.

Keywords : Children’s and teenagers’ sexual exploitation; Violence; Fear; Medium Jequitinhonha Valley.

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