Prevention is born within the family

Christian and Belen are intently watching an animated series, starring a red fox and two children that look like them. They are not exactly smiling.  They are reflecting.  They do not look away.  One hundred percent of their attention is on the advice given by the narrator, after the children in the series become scared of a fox, which represents a sexual predator.  

"If someone comes near me and asks me to go play video games, I will say no, that I can´t because I am busy.  Then I would tell my mom and sister", says Christian, 11, with conviction.  He learned a valuable lesson from the video, as part of workshops and activities to prevent sexual abuse facilitated by World Vision in partnership with national police.   "I tell my friends that are flirty to be careful, not to trust strangers and to respect themselves," said Belen, 14.   "I recommend to all my friends that they watch these videos, because they will learn a lot."  

Christian and Belen have two other brothers.  Their mother´s name is Pilar and they live in the town of Cerro Navia, in Santiago de Chile. This urban district is characterized by high rates of domestic violence, poor schooling, drug addiction, alcoholism and unemployment. In this context, prostitution and child abuse permeate the community.  It is in this community that Pilar has become an advocate for children.  She is part of a child protection group made up of women that in addition to detecting situations of abuse, they also conduct preventative actions to reduce violence against children. 

"I knew of a case involving a neighborhood girl that was raped by her father as a child. Unfortunately everyone in the community knew about it many years later, and there was little that could be done", Pilar says sadly.  Now, she personally tells others in her community and church about the values of respect and how to show love and care to children.  

"I work with a group of 20 children from the church.  When I heard about the workshops on preventing child sexual abuse, I did not hesitate to attend, and the truth is that it gave me much more than I expected. My children constantly use the materials, videos and games that were given to us, and I apply these lessons to my church groups.  This information is very important, especially in our dangerous environment", Pilar states.

The story of Pilar and her children is part of the project for strengthening child protection systems at World Vision Chile, whose goal is to build capacity among local actors, government, civil society and voluntary groups in order to provide protective environments for children as a preventative approach.  

World Vision´s Regional Project for Strengthening Child Protection Systems is raising awareness of the importance of child protection and establishing it as a priority.  Community members and organizations are acting together in unity and developing a shared vision on how to care for and protect children.  They have emphasized preventative actions, supporting the reduction of violence.