This Guide provides a basic framework, examples, resources, and contact information for health providers and managers to: Better understand and facilitate linkages with critical social and community services for comprehensive care of children and adolescents who have experienced sexual violence and exploitation beyond the clinical exam. Take additional steps to help children and adolescents receive the information and support their needs. Contribute to changes in sociocultural norms that perpetuate a culture of violence and silence that can also increase HIV risk and vulnerability.
Responding to the full needs of children and adolescents who have experienced sexual violence and exploitation can be daunting. How do we respond to something so sensitive that requires multisectoral support and funding in environments that have few resources?
It is our hope this guide will provide inspiration for even the small “next steps” that a program can take to better serve the needs of children, adolescents, and their families. The guide is intended as a general resource; we envision that the information provided here will be adapted to country-specific contexts, resources, needs, laws, and policies. This guide borrowed heavily from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other programs that have developed promising guidelines and resources on various aspects of these integrated care needs.