Ouvindo o silêncio: um estudo sobre a escuta de crianças e adolescentes como prática jurídica na defesa dos direitos sexuais na 1ª vara de crimes contra a dignidade sexual de crianças e adolescentes na comarca de Manaus

Abstract

This dissertation, entitled "Hearing the silence: a study on the testimony of children and adolescents as a legal practice in the defense of sexual rights in the 1st court for crimes against the sexual dignity of children and adolescents in the district of Manaus," investigates the implementation of the right to be heard for child and adolescent victims of sexual violence within the justice system of the District of Manaus. Drawing from a personal and professional journey of over three decades, the study addresses the dissonance between the robust normative protection framework and institutional practices that often result in re-victimization. The research develops a critical analysis of the protective principled architecture, tracing the path from the notion of "integral protection" to a more advanced concept of "plural protection," and then confronts this theory with judicial practice. The main objective is to analyze how the local justice system implements, or fails to implement, the right to be heard and the principle of the best interests of the child. The methodology employs a mixed-methods approach, combining documentary and ethnographic research with a quantitative analysis of data from the Specialized Police Station for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (DEPCA) and the 1st Specialized Court for Crimes Against the Sexual Dignity of Children and Adolescents of the District of Manaus. The results reveal the alarming prevalence of sexual crimes and point to a structural form of violence within the judiciary, manifested in procedural delays and systemic gaps. It is concluded that the promise of protection, although legally guaranteed, faces barriers that render it insufficient in practice, configuring a form of institutional violence that transforms the right to justice into an uncertain journey for the victims.