Infancia, palabra y silencio: Aproximación desde una perspectiva constructivista

Abstract

This article describes the research developed with the objective of reducing secondary victimization in the child population, particularly that associated with sexual abuse and aggression. It presents a theoretical review of silence as a historical conception of childhood and child participation, and exposes the understanding of the construction of meanings from the constructivist perspective. In an initial approach and using a qualitative methodology, Philosophy Workshops were developed with 35 children from the fourth grade of Primary Education in Santiago, Chile. The production of dialogues was subjected to content analysis. The results indicate that children understand silence as a strategy of escape from difficulties and lack of expression of negative emotions. The word is the expression of happiness and mutual cooperation, but at the same time, they mean it as a source of pain and the imposition of others. In conclusion, it is necessary to generate new modes of relationship between the child and adult world, with the focus on developing new knowledge about the perceptions and expectations of the children themselves, and their needs.