Sexual violences against children and adolescents: moments and tendencies in institutional interventions in Argentina (2021-2022)

Abstract

Introduction. This article examines the shapes that institutional interventions take in situations of sexual violence against children and adolescents. It aims to analyze them from the perspectives of professionals and community referents working in Argentina, to describe the actions deployed, and analyze the moments and trends of the process towards the protection of rights or revictimization. Methodology. Based on a qualitative design, fifteen stories of institutional action were built from the perspective of professionals and community referents from Argentina in the period 2021-2022. Results. According to the type of disclosure, three groups were identified: group 1, stories told by girls or adolescents to the inner circle of trust; group 2, stories told by girls or adolescents to neighbours; group 3, stories detected by a health centre. The systematization proposed allows to distinguish four moments in the institutional path, which offers an analytical tool to understand the conditions that stimulate the continuity of protection actions, as well as those which lead to their disruption or fragmentation. Discussion. The “entry point” is problematized as a predictor of the institutional pathway, showing that the orientation of trajectories depends on institutional density and intersectoral co-responsibility in the third moment of the critical path, where the tendency toward either the restitution of rights or revictimization is defined. Conclusions. Reducing programmatic vulnerability requires strengthening interinstitutional articulation that sustains accompaniment mechanisms and acknowledges the gender dimension of care, emphasizing the crucial role of women in the protection and restoration of the rights of children and adolescents.