Características psicossociais associadas às mulheres adolescentes vítimas da exploração sexual comercial, que entraram a um centro da atenção na região de Los Lagos, o Chile

Abstract

The objective of this study is to characterize the main psychosocial variables present in a group of teenage girls victims of commercial sexual exploitation, who entered an a care center specialized in approaching the subject in the region of Los Lagos, Chile. Through a quantitative methodology system a retrospective analysis was made of 121 records of adolescents between 12 and 18 years old, taking place between years 2009 and 2015. The main results make it feasible to identify psychosocial variables that are strongly present in all cases, such as he history of parental negligence, school dropout, a long institutionalization trajectory, a history of sexual abuse, street life experiences and the consumption of alcohol and/or drugs. Likewise, different configurations of the psychosocial variables are identified in relation to each local modality of commercial sexual exploitation seen in the territory. The implications of carrying out intervention strategies having been differentiated by commercial sexual exploitation of children and teenagers are discussed, taking into consideration the work teams' knowledge of the multiplicity of factors associated with this phenomenon in each territory.