The importance of specialized programs for prevention of violence against children and adolescents: actions and activities of Program Sentinela in Itaboraí, Municipality of Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Violence against childhood and adolescence is a problem that is still far from being eradicated. Despite the existence of countless laws aimed at guaranteeing children and adolescents’ rights, the incalculable number of victims of violence, mainly within the family context, is undeniable. In this context, there is an urgent need for specialized programs to assist children and adolescents who are victims of violence, whether by intra- or extra-family violence, such as the Sentinela Program, which consists of an action aimed at assisting children and adolescents who are victims of violence and their families. Through interdisciplinary and intersectoral interventions, the program’s main objective is to reverse situations of violence perpetrated against children and to value healthy family relationships.