Analysis of care for adolescent victims of gender-based violence in Senegal: a qualitative study

In Senegal, many adolescent victims of gender-based violence (GBV) do not receive care. The aim of this study was to analyse the care circuit for adolescent victims of GBV, taking gender differences into account. This was a qualitative case study. A thematic analysis of the data was carried out using Nvivo 12 software. The study showed that society attached less importance to the rape of boys. The study also showed that the main attitude of adolescents to GBV was silence, encouraged by under-reporting. The structural barriers to providing care were the insensitivity of health and judicial structures towards adolescents, as well as geographical and financial obstacles. In conclusion, it is important for policies to tackle these structural barriers in order to promote a system of care suited to cases of GBV among adolescents.