Abstract

BARROS, Roberta Dias de; WILLIAMS, Lúcia Cavalcanti de Albulquerque  and  BRINO, Rachel de Faria. Habilidades de auto proteção acerca do abuso sexual em mulheres com deficiência mental. Rev. bras. educ. espec. [online]. 2008, vol.14, n.01, pp.93-110. ISSN 1413-6538.

Considering the increasing number of reported sexual abuse cases and the vulnerability of some specific populations, such as persons with special needs, more specifically people with mental retardation, this study intended to characterize self protection against sexual abuse skills for the latter. With this purpose, a translated structured interview "What if Situation Test" was applied in six special school in the city of São Carlos, Brazil, with students aged between 18-50 years old. Results showed that this study's participants did not have an appropriate repertoire of self-protection skills to protect themselves from potential sexually abusive situations. Data showed that the participants were able to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate situations, which means that they recognized situations that offered risks. However, they were not able to leave an inappropriate situation and report it to someone they trusted, which may be indicative of deficit in their self-protection skills' repertoire. This study supports the existing literature, confirming this population's vulnerability concerning sexual abuse and contributes to a wider discussion about sexual abuse preventive programs.

Keywords : Sexual Abuse; Mental Retardation; Education for Prevention; Special Education.