National analysis on violence against LGBTI+ children: Portugal

Abstract

National analysis of violence against LGBTI + children in Portugal. The semi-structured interview script was conceived by DaC research team at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra (CES-UC), led by Dr Ana Cristina Santos and Ms Mafalda Esteves, and the 10 interviews were conducted by Ms Alexandra Santos. The sample of interviewees was purposive, aiming at involving key actors in each of the five DaC areas. Our criteria involved job and post relevance, insertion in networks or professional forums that may benefit from further training in DaC issues and diversity of work experiences. We also privileged access and rapport previously secured, when possible, in order to facilitate contact and ensure the timeline would be successfully met. Overall we interviewed 2 pedopsychiatrists; 1 primary school teacher; 1 school psychologist; 2 journalists; 1 member of the police force; 1 social worker; 1 representative of an LGBTI+ parent organization; and 1 psychologist from a children support organization. Informed consent was secured prior to each interview. A total of 540 minutes of qualitative interviews were audio recorded, anonymised and analysed through a thematic network coding. In terms of age and gender balance, the sample included 10 participants out of which only 2 identified as male. The age of the participants ranged from 27 to 61 years old