Guardiões da infância: desenvolvimento, implementação e avaliação de um programa da Polícia Federal de prevenção à violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes em ambientes virtuais

Abstract

In 2022, Brazil recorded the highest number of reported rapes in its history, with 6 out of every 10 victims being under the age of 13. Approximately 95% of the population aged 9 to 17 are internet users in the country. As the use of online technology by Brazilian children and adolescents increases, it becomes essential to recognize, prevent, and address the risks and potential harms these individuals may face in this environment. In this context, this study aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a police program to prevent sexual violence against children and adolescents in virtual environments. Through integrative literature review, analysis of practical cases and adaptation of pre-existing preventive methodologies, the Guardians of Childhood program was created. Promoted by federal police officers, the initiative targets students aged 11 to 17, as well as their parents and teachers. The program was later expanded to also meet the demand of agents working in the child and adolescent protection network. The module for children and adolescents was divided into 5 parts. The first addresses the relationship between social media, digital environments, and mental health and well-being; the second explores concepts and practices regarding internet safety and privacy; the third discusses empathy online, relating it to issues such as bullying and cyberbullying; the fourth focuses on combating misinformation; and the final part concerns safe online relationships, covering topics such as grooming, sextortion, and the unauthorized sharing (leakage) of intimate videos and images. The family module aims to raise awareness among caregivers about the investigated problem and encourage them to adopt an active approach with their children, emphasizing dialogue, monitoring, boundary-setting, and building trust. The teacher’s module, in turn, seeks to motivate educators to engage in actions based on three pillars: identification, support, and non-omission. Created in 2024, the Guardians of Childhood program has already delivered 135 training sessions: 89 for children and adolescents, 18 for family members, 16 for teachers, and 12 for other audiences (protection network agents). Regarding the total number of people reached, the program has served 4.222 students, 817 family members, 616 teachers, and 311 protection network agents (including guardianship counselors, managers, educational assistants, psychologists, social workers, among others). In 13% of the training sessions, a crime report was made by a participant after the session, with five cases involving spontaneous disclosure by the victim. Throughout the training sessions, efforts were made to assess the perceptions of the target audience to identify how effective the program was. Thus, a sample of 20 students was subjected to a semistructured questionnaire, with responses formatted on a Likert scale, which were analyzed using the Chi-square statistical test, both before and after the training. Family members (n = 7) and teachers (n = 12) were interviewed, and their responses were processed through Content Analysis. It was concluded that the sample of students submitted to the program presented results that demonstrated an improvement in skills related to: verifying whether information found on the network is correct; reacting to hate speech on the internet in a responsible manner; reporting offensive content practiced against children or adolescents; seeking help channels in situations involving online violence; acting correctly if offensive content was posted publicly on the internet; knowing what to do in the face of online threats, unauthorized use of personal information on the Internet, especially for committing illegal acts, and how to act in the face of unauthorized disclosure of intimate content. Furthermore, after the training, the sample showed evidence that screen time was reduced. Family members, in turn, provided reports that are consistent with the points developed during the training, and also presented positive perceptions regarding the experience. Finally, teachers considered that the training proposed by the program was effective in improving their understanding and ability to deal with cases of sexual violence against children and adolescents. At the end of this dissertation, there is a Technical-Technological Product, in the format of a Technical Report, which summarizes the information presented throughout this study.