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Since adolescence is a transitional phase between pediatrics, clinical medicine and other specialties, the problems of this age group remained for many years without a clearly defined position in the organization of the health system.
Due mainly to resistance, prejudice and specific lack of knowledge, care for adolescents remained relegated to emergency crises and emergency room visits.
In recent years, with the awareness of various sectors of society and the development of programs to encourage care for adolescents in the health system, we have seen the beginning of a reversal of this situation.
Currently, there are several organized services in the country aimed at providing comprehensive health care for adolescents and their families, as well as prevention programs in schools and communities.
Despite this progress, there are still many difficulties to be overcome. Although adolescence is understood as a physiological stage of development, adolescents are still fragmented and stereotyped by their behavior, generating reactions in health professionals that hinder the doctor/patient relationship, a fundamental binomial for care.
The area of sexuality, which is of fundamental importance for physical, social and psychological maturation, due to its controversial characteristics, becomes one of the most difficult topics to approach and also contributes to the creation of risky situations between adolescents and society. New means of communication, especially the Internet, in addition to influencing adolescent behavior, can be another factor in the distortion of sexuality.
Within this topic, perhaps the most difficult to approach is that of violence and sexual abuse, which are highly prevalent in our country. It is becoming increasingly necessary for professionals to be aware of this situation, in terms of tracking, prevention, diagnosis and conduct.
The journal Adolescence & Health , together with the Brazilian Association of Adolescence (ASBRA), begins, in this issue, a partnership with the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) to disseminate knowledge about preventing violence and sexual abuse. It is necessary to support the strengthening of an integrated/interconnected network among health professionals in order to reduce the shameful and underestimated rates of sexual abuse in our country.