Oficinas lúdicas com o público infantil na prevenção à violência contra crianças

Abstract

Violence against children is a severe public health issue, causing harm to their physical and psychological development in the short, medium, and long term. Preventing violence is the most effective approach to address and combat this problem. The primary objective of this research was to analyze preventive strategies concerning violence against children with the involvement of children themselves. The specific objectives were: 1) Understanding children's perceptions of violence against children; 2) Analyzing strategies to inform and sensitize children about identifying the various types of violence directed at them or their peers, as well as knowledge of resources available for cases of violence; 3) Analyzing the creative products developed by children related to the prevention of violence against children. This research received approval from the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Federal University of Alagoas. It is an action research employing a qualitative approach and interventional methodology, utilizing playful workshops. Data collection utilized various instruments, including forms for socioeconomic profiling, children's school records, violence-related questionnaires, workshop evaluation forms, researchers' and assistants' field diaries, audio recordings of workshops, photographs of children's productions, and the Drawing-Story Procedure with a specific theme. Six playful workshops were conducted at the school, with the participation of 23 children. The data nterpretation was based on Winnicott's psychoanalysis and updated academic production on the subject. The first workshop was an introductory session; the second aimed to identify and comprehend the meanings regarding the phenomenon of violence against children and adolescents from the children's perspective; the third and fourth workshops provided information on preventing sexual, physical, and psychological violence, neglect, as well as fostering respect and care for others; the fifth focused on proposing interventions, and the sixth served as a closing session. Initially, children presented drawings and stories primarily focused on physical violence. However, throughout the sessions, their understanding expanded to include psychological violence, sexual violence, negligence (prompted by the researcher), as well as instances of bullying and racism (suggested by the children themselves). The workshops provided a safe space for communication and expression of ideas and preventive strategies, facilitating children's incorporation of group-discussed information into their existing knowledge base or its reformulation. Thus, through activities such as drawing, gaming, torytelling, group projects, and book creation, children were able to express their viewpoints and enhance their understanding of the subject matter. These workshops emerged as a valuable resource, enabling children's expression, creativity, and leadership in preventing violence against children.