In 2023, Pequeno Príncipe assisted 745 children and adolescents who were victims of violence
In the last two decades, from 2003 to 2023, more than 9,000 boys and girls were treated; sexual violence predominates among healthcare service
Data from the federal government’s Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship demonstrate that the number of reports of cases of violence against children and adolescents registered in Brazil in 2023 grew by 50% when compared to that recorded in the previous year. There were more than 228,000 calls to the Brazilian ‘Dial 100’ service, reporting cases involving children and adolescents aged 0 to 17.
At Pequeno Príncipe, a hospital that is a reference for care for victims of violence in Curitiba and the metropolitan region, 745 boys and girls were treated in 2023 as a result of violence suffered, a number 14% higher than that recorded in the previous year. Sexual abuse leads this sad ranking: 435 children and adolescents were treated on suspicion of this type of violence, the youngest being a baby just 4 months old.
Violence against children and adolescents has some common characteristics in any region, country or social class in which it occurs. Home is the place where it occurs most. And the culprits, in the vast majority of cases, are people who are close to and trusted by the victim.
In Pequeno Príncipe, 73% of assaults cases in 2023 came from a family member. Therefore, encouraging reporting is essential to give a boy or girl at risk a chance to help. And this is precisely the objective of the Campaign for Life – Violence Cannot Mark the Future of Children (in the campaign’s website, content only in Portuguese).
Developed by the Hospital since 2006, the campaign provides manuals and educational lectures aimed at health and education professionals to improve the identification of the main signs of violence; books on self-protection aimed at children and young people, teaching children their right to ask for help and receive protection; and mobilization of the community through videos, posts on social networks, press and support from digital influencers, providing guidance and raising awareness about the importance of reporting.
Not Even One Forced Little Kiss
This year, the campaign was reinforced through a project made possible by the Rouanet Law, that incentives cultural projects. The initiative brings to Brazil, free of charge, the translation of a German book that counts on two stories: Not Even One Forced Little Kiss and No Affection by Force. With great sensitivity and poetry, writer Marion Mebes and illustrator Lydia Sandrock talk about how nice it is to receive a kiss and a cuddle when we want. But they reinforce: it’s you who decides whether you want it or not! It is your right to choose and say NO!
The book, launched at Pequeno Príncipe Hospital on April 30th, will be distributed free of charge. To engage as many people as possible in this cause, the stories are also supplied in digital versions, which can be accessed for free on the campaign’s website, and animated versions, available on the Pequeno Príncipe Hospital channel on YouTube, through the link https://bityli.cc/toA.
Watch the videos or read the book with a child, pay attention to the signs and report any suspected violence. Say yes to respect. No violence!
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