Child sexual violence: a foucauldian analysis of power relations

Child sexual violence strongly affects thousands of children and adolescents, being considered a cruel and criminal practice, capable of leaving deep marks on the body and soul of the victims. This article aims to understand how power relations, in the Foucauldian perspective, contribute to child sexual violence. To this end, we opted for the qualitative approach, with a bibliographic and documentary data collection procedure. The results showed that in child sexual violence, children and adolescents – vulnerable subjects – are subjected to an extreme form of power exercised by adults who occupy positions of authority or dominion over them. In addition, it is highlighted that the silencing of society contributes to the perpetuation of this phenomenon.