Objective:

This research analyzes how parents or primary caregivers describe the processes and meanings of lived experience toward the discovery of sexual abuse of their children.

Method:

descriptive, cross-sectional study with methodological approach the Collective Subject Discourse-DSC. Individual interview with 60 parents or caregivers that were not perpetrators was conducted, in the municipalities of Cajica and Tabio de Bogotá- Colombia. The empirical data were analyzed using the Collective Subject Discourse (DCS), based on the Theory of Social Representations, which makes possible the emergence of social representations by constructing collective discourses. The data were Qualitative processed and analyzed in the Qualiquantisoft software, which is associated with the DSC method.

Results:

The most significant discourse identify by interviewed was the “relationship between parents, primary caregivers and child” (45,74%, n=43), they emphasize in improving the role as parents, through trustfulness, the dialogue, listen out, taking care of the children and spending more time with them; they also considered important the support role of the protection and justice network (29%, n=32).

Conclusions:

The credibility, the behaviors and the protection measures that the parents or primary caregivers assume, are essential guidelines for the process of disclosure of the sexual abuse and provides an environment that enables a positive development of the traumatic experience in the child. It is important to emphasize the role played by the professionals involved in these cases, because comprehensive care to reduce the long-term consequences depends on their attitude, support and management.

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