Domestic violence against children and adolescents

Domestic violence against children and adolescents (DVCA) can be defined as any act or omission practiced by fathers, mothers or other guardians capable of causing physical, sexual and/or psychological harm to the victim. This book seeks to understand the discursive practices, based on the theory of Social Representations, of twelve educators who have worked with children and adolescents who have been victims of DVA. Through content analysis, the interviewees’ speeches were associated with Greek myths: Themis, Ariadne, Theseus, Mnemosyne, Prometheus, Hestia, Artémis, Métis, Reia, Démeter, Persefóne, and Athena from the perspective of the Herculean work they had to do until the notification was made. The author shows that insecurity in the face of not knowing what ACV really is, the inefficiency of the Guardianship Council, ignorance of the ECA and the lack of tools and methodologies to intervene in cases of ACV, were all factors that hindered and made reporting difficult. The conclusion is that this violence, as a tragedy, can be represented by educators who have come to have a more humanized view and an attitude of defending children and adolescents.