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CLAVES
Preventing child sexual abuse and violence
Montevideo, Uruguay
Meet the local nonprofit working to protect vulnerable youth from abuse and violence, helping teachers, trainers and carers identify, educate and protect at-risk youth.
Who Are They?
Fundacion Claves is made up of a team of local psychiatrists, psychologists, sexologists and social workers, united in their passion to protect vulnerable youth from physical violence and sexual abuse. They have created a transferable set of workshops and learning resources that are now distributed throughout the country to help teachers, sports coaches and community leaders protect local kids.
Why is their work so important?
VIOLENCE
Over 60% of children living in impoverished communities of Uruguay currently experience some type of violence within the home.
VULNERABILITY
Despite a robust economy, poverty persists in over 12% of the Uruguayan population, creating unique stresses.
POVERTY
Whilst poverty itself does not
cause child abuse, living in poverty increases the risk of neglect, abuse and violence towards children.
PROTECTING LOCAL KIDS
Explore this Nonprofits amazing work first-hand.
What do they do?
Fundacion Claves use an indirect intervention strategy to support vulnerable children. Rather than focussing upon children directly, they offer training for teachers and coaches to help identify at risk kids. The foundation run a series of workshops designed to help adults prevent local abuse, support kids who may be experiencing violence and identify safe solutions.
Caretaker Toolkit
At the heart of their programs is the caretaker toolkit, a package of games, puzzles and other child-centric communication tools that they provide local teachers and coaches. These are designed to help adults effectively navigate the complex subject of sexual abuse with at-risk children. The idea is that these tools will help teachers and coaches identify assaults and guide them in coordinating specialised support for children from psychologists, doctors and law enforcement. Such is the success of this toolkit that it has now been used in 16 countries throughout Latin America. As Luis Cesari, the project's director, says, "We designed this toolkit from the ground up and we're so excited to see it having a real effect in local communities."
Creative Solutions
Fundacion Claves also uses a variety of creative methods to help educate children about their rights. They currently produce a series of films that provided to schools, helping teachers explore sensitive issues of abuse and family violence in the classroom. Films are created by a team of volunteer film-makers and actors who use a narrative approach to explore acceptable behaviour towards children within the home. These films are shown everywhere from local classrooms to Human Rights Film Festivals throughout the country.
What do locals think?
Local Student Attending a Claves Film Screening
"There is so much I didn't know about what this stuff and how to handle it."
Candice,
Volunteer Film Maker
"It's great that I can use my skills to help share an important message"
Luis Cesari
Project Director
"We seek to clearly outline to children what is acceptable behaviour"
