“I Have the Right to Feel Safe,” Ecuador, 2016–2017

Gender-based violence in schools is widespread in Ecuador. Between 2014 and 2024, the country recorded 6,438 reported cases of sexual violence in or around schools, according to administrative data from the Ministry of Education analyzed by Human Rights Watch. Among reported cases, the majority of victims were girls, while most perpetrators were men, 60% of whom were over 30 years old. The most common perpetrators were teachers (62%) and other students (29%) [1,2].

However, due to the lack of nationally representative population data on violence against children, these figures likely represent only a fraction of children’s experiences in Ecuador. From Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) in other Latin American and Caribbean countries, we know that very few children seek help after experiencing sexual violence (7.9% of girls and 4.1% of boys in Honduras; 16.3% of girls and 0% of boys in El Salvador), meaning that many cases are never reported. The main reasons cited for not seeking services for childhood sexual abuse in these countries included fear of getting into trouble and not realizing the abuse was a problem.

What it is and how it works

“I Have the Right to Feel Safe” is a 10-week school-based program aimed at preventing childhood sexual violence by increasing awareness and teaching self-defense techniques. The program has been implemented in several Latin American countries [4], and Fundación Azulado adapted it for public elementary schools in low-income Andean communities in Ecuador.

The program offered weekly workshops for children aged 7 to 12, providing knowledge and tools related to self-protection and self-esteem, identifying a personal safety network of trusted adults, and distinguishing between good and bad secrets, using the book Uncomfortable Secrets. It also offered tools for saying “no” and for disclosing abuse.

Before delivering the workshops, teachers attended training sessions with psychologists from Fundación Azulado, where they received guidance on how to carry out the program’s activities. After these sessions, teachers had one week to prepare their lessons. Each class followed a workbook provided to students, which included interactive activities and discussion prompts [4].

This school-based program was later transformed, adapted, and renamed “Mi Escudo” (My Shield). Additionally, the foundation developed a family version of the program, which is currently under review after its pilot evaluation. This version includes five family games designed to create spaces for parent-child conversations and reflection about sexual violence [5].

Program evaluation and outcomes

A randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of “I Have the Right to Feel Safe” through questionnaires administered at three points in time, measuring children’s knowledge of self-protection against sexual abuse in seven schools in Machachi, Ecuador.

Results showed:

• The program improved knowledge of self-protection strategies to prevent sexual abuse, and this knowledge was retained six months after the intervention ended. Children's average scores increased by 8.8 percentage points, from 61.1% at the baseline to 69.9% in the final evaluation.
• Thematic analysis showed the most significant improvement was in children’s understanding that “not all secrets should be kept,” which increased by 24.8% between the baseline and final evaluations. 

There were smaller gains in identifying potential abusers versus trusted individuals, with 18.1% and 30.1% of children answering the question “Are abusers always strangers?” correctly in the initial and final evaluations, respectively [4].

Since 2010, Fundación Azulado has reached:

These numbers reflect the direct impact of Azulado’s programs, including the school and family components of “Mi Escudo”, focused on preventing child sexual abuse through education, empowerment, and evidence-based practice [5].

Challenges:

• Measuring behavior change. The evaluation did not assess behavioral change or experiences of childhood sexual violence.
• Teachers’ impact on learning. Teachers’ personal biases, including understanding and comfort with the topic, may affect the content delivered to children. To minimize the effect on children’s outcomes, program psychologists observed sessions and provided quality assurance [4].

Lessons learned:

• Sustainability of outcomes. The train-the-trainer model may lead to longer-term program sustainability, as teachers continue reinforcing their knowledge of violence prevention over time.
• Identifying trustworthy people. It is difficult for children to distinguish between trustworthy people and potential abusers; programs should take this into account and reinforce this aspect.