Cotidiano de crianças em situação de vulnerabilidade: percepções a partir da cinoterapia

Abstract

Children in situations of social vulnerability have a different view of the school environment, being considered a space of new opportunities, social, leisure and even their daily meals. In view of this, Animal Assisted Intervention stands out, having different modalities, with great positive results in the school environment, contributing to the child's learning and health. Therefore, in this context, the objective was to understand how children in situations of social vulnerability perceive their daily lives based on the inclusion of a dog. Qualitative descriptive-exploratory research carried out with 23 children aged between 6 years and 12 years in a Basic Education School in a Municipality in the Western Region of Santa Catarina. Data production was developed with the help of a dog, photo-mediated dog therapy in the month of September to October 2023. Thematic Content Analysis according to Minayo was used to analyze the data. The research respected the ethical aspects of research with human beings, following Resolution 196/1996 of the National Health Council, being approved under opinion 6,165,993 and CAAE number 69740523.9.0000.5564 and ethical aspects of research and teaching with animals attending to Law 11,794/08, Decree 6,899/09 and Law 9,605/98 of Brazilian legislation. From the data analysis, three themes emerged: violence covering psychological, physical, sexual, urban and exposure of weapons, moderate or severe food insecurity and the use of dog therapy. Related to psychological violence, children in their narratives refer to the use of swearing and the rude way in which parents or guardians act towards them, as for physical violence, it appears as a punitive way for children, in which they start to replicate the same actions with family, colleagues and the community. Regarding sexual violence, given the misinformation, children cannot identify the situation they are in, making it normal and repeating the same actions with other people, especially with other younger children, targeting urban violence, participants brought graffiti and depredations of public spaces. Regarding the firearm exhibition, many participants have seen it at some point in their lives and have knowledge about the existing models, they also mention games that are used in real life. On the topic of food insecurity, it is noticeable how children refer to school as a place to eat their meals, especially those who are hungry. In relation to the dog provided children with well-being, safety, relaxation and improved mood during activities. Therefore, the role of the school for children who are in vulnerable situations can be seen, making it a support network and enabling a future perspective that is different from their reality. Related to the dog, it highlighted the results of the literature, in which there are benefits for children, especially those who are in a vulnerable situation.