Effectiveness of an intervention to prevent child sexual abuse

Abstract

Child sexual abuse prevention programs that focus on developing self-protective behaviors among children are highly significant as they address potential psychosocial impacts and the prevalence of sexual violence. There is also scientific evidence that supports their effectiveness. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with 57 sixth-grade students to evaluate an intervention that involved educational workshops on the topics of sexual and reproductive rights, self-awareness, boundary setting and identifying dangerous situations. The Prudence Test was employed to verify the intervention's effect. A significant difference was found between the different groups (U = 805.000, p < .001; rbis = 0.983) and between pre- and post-intervention measures (W = 1.500, p < .001, rbis = -0.992) within the experimental group. These findings confirm the effectiveness of the intervention. © 2025 Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales. All rights reserved.