Growing up without violence (GWV): Study protocol for a cluster randomised trial and process evaluation of a school-based intervention preventing adolescent sexual exploitation in Brazil

Background

Sexual exploitation of children and adolescents (SECA) is a mostly invisible phenomenon, having negative impacts on adolescents' health and well-being. There is increasing awarenessof preventative strategies to reduce sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, but limited evidence on their effectiveness and mechanisms. This project addresses this gap through the impact and process evaluation of ‘Growing Up Without Violence’ (GWV), the largest intervention in Brazil tackling SECA.

Methods

We will conduct a two-arm cluster randomised trial (CRT) with parallel assignment in the municipalities of Cabo de Santo Agostinho and Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in Brazil. We will randomly allocate 30 schools to intervention and 30 to wait-list control arms. In each of these schools, we will randomly select independent samples of fifty students (aged 12 to 17) to participate in baseline and endline surveys. We will invite students to self-complete pre-programmed questionnaires in a private school space, under the supervision of trained researchers. Our main analysis is a cross-sectional comparison between control and intervention schools of students' levels of basic knowledge for identifying appropriate and inappropriate sexual advances and acts (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes include knowledge of risks of online sexual exploitation, willingness to report incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation, and recall of exposure SECA preventive training content.

Discussion

To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale rigorous evaluation of an intervention to prevent SECA in Brazil. Findings will inform our strategies and future interventions to prevent SECA.