Literatura infantil de prevenção a violência sexual contra crianças de 4 a 6: uma análise crítica sob a perspectiva feminista

Abstract

This study emerges from concerns about the high rates of Child Sexual Violence (CSV) and reflections on the role of schools as agents in preventing this form of violence. The research aimed to understand the concept of "self-protective skills" through the systematization and analysis of a selection of children's books intended to serve as pedagogical tools for developing self-protection strategies and confronting CSV among children aged 4 to 6. Employing a qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary approach, the study is grounded in two main theoretical frameworks: the field of research on self-protective skills, and gender and sexuality debates through various feminist perspectives, which critically examine the culture of violence, the vulnerability of children due to their age and gender, and the systems of oppression that sustain such violence. Throughout the study, it became evident that sexuality is one of the fundamental pillars in human development, shaped by historically constructed power relations. Accordingly, the research focuses on the intersections of race, gender, class, and ethnicity; the questioning of taboos, beliefs, and values surrounding childhood sexuality; and the emphasis on children's empowerment and discernment as strategies for preventing and confronting violence-often perpetrated by individuals close to the family environment. The analysis results show that the selected children's books significantly contribute to strengthening children's bodily autonomy and critical thinking, in addition to valuing children's voices by positioning them as narrators and protagonists of the stories. However, an effective intersectional approach is lacking, as all the analyzed works feature predominantly white children from heteronormative nuclear families composed of a mother and a father. Furthermore, the experiences of Black, Indigenous, or disabled children, children from different social classes, or those belonging to LGBTQIAPN+ families are not represented, revealing a limitation in the portrayal of diversity and a significant gap in relation to a plural and inclusive feminist perspective. It is concluded that children's literature, when mediated by a critical approach and guided by a feminist perspective, can serve as a powerful tool in the prevention of sexual violence against children and the promotion of emancipatory education, since this perspective allows for the recognition and engagement with the complexity of the culture of violence-marked by inequalities of gender, race, class, sexuality, and other intersections that affect children's lives.