THE CONTRIBUTION OF PROJECTIVE TESTS IN THE PSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE CASES

Abstract

Child sexual violence is a serious violation of human rights with lasting psychosocial and emotional impacts on children and adolescents, and is an alarming problem in Brazil. Combating this issue requires an intersectoral and systemic approach, focused on prevention, early identification and comprehensive protection of victims. Campaigns such as “Orange May” are crucial for raising awareness in society, encouraging complaints and strengthening protection networks. The National Day to Combat the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, on May 18, marks the collective commitment to safeguarding children's rights. Psychological assessment is an essential tool for understanding the emotional suffering of victims and, in cases of limited verbal expression, projective tests such as the Rorschach and the Human Figure Drawing are valuable, allowing symbolic access to complex experiences and helping in the early identification of traumas for appropriate interventions. These tests, based on the projection of elements of emotional life onto ambiguous stimuli, reveal aspects of personality and internal conflicts. Examples include the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the Drawing-and-Story Procedure (D-E), which are useful for understanding interpersonal relationships, identifying themes such as aggression and guilt, and accessing non-verbalized experiences. The use of these instruments, however, should be cautious, integrated with other sources of data and theoretically based.