Ethnically distinct populations and coping with violence against children in the COVID-19 pandemic

This study examined policies and programs adopted by a Brazilian municipality to address violence against children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers analysed official documents from Ananindeua, Pará between November 2021 and February 2022. The analysis identified three main areas: pandemic impacts on child violence, action strategies to tackle violence, and evaluation indicators. The study found that municipal documents gave little specific attention to children, particularly those from traditional populations, and used only quantitative indicators for evaluating programs.

Key points

• Three empirical categories emerged from document analysis: pandemic impacts on violence against children, action strategies, and evaluation indicators
• Documents revealed few direct mentions of children in policy and programs
• Traditional populations were especially underrepresented in municipal documents
• Evaluations of adopted policies and programs were described as superficial and ineffective
• Municipalities used exclusively quantitative indicators to assess program effectiveness

Limitations

This is a documentary analysis of official records from one municipality, so it cannot assess the actual implementation or real-world effectiveness of policies and programs, nor can it capture informal responses to child violence. The study does not examine children's or families' experiences directly.