Not broken, just silenced”
Empowerment among adolescent mothers institutionalized after sexual violence in Peru
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12260243 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Olenka Retiz (0000-0003-0146-1039, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, corresponding author), Mariana Salas (0000-0002-9008-5778, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-26 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Feminism & Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-3535 • E-ISSN: 1461-7161 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09593535261421929 |
| OpenAlex | W7140807757 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
This study examines, through a feminist empowerment lens, the trajectories that lead Peruvian adolescent mothers into institutional care following pregnancies resulting from sexual violence, and their lived experiences within these settings. Using a qualitative case study design, the research was conducted in a state-accredited protection institution in Lima. Nine adolescent mothers aged 13 to 17 participated in structured observations and group interviews conducted together with in-depth interviews with one adolescent and two institutional authorities. The findings identified three key moments across a continuum of violence and care: sexual violence within the family, disclosure and engagement with legal and health systems, and life inside the institution. Across these phases, participants encountered multiple forms of revictimization, including within institutions meant to provide care. At the same time, the study documents expressions of resistance and agency, including disclosure, peer solidarity, and collective care. These practices illustrate forms of “power from within” and “power with” that emerge under conditions of profound constraint. Rather than positioning institutionalization as protective by default, the analysis shows how care is often delivered through paternalistic and controlling logics that limit autonomy. The study contributes to feminist psychology by conceptualizing empowerment as relational, situated, and negotiated within institutional contexts
Domestic violence · Empowerment · Institution · Institutionalisation · Paternalism · Poison control · Qualitative research · Resistance (ecology · Sexual violence · Child Abuse and Trauma · Community Health and Development · Intimate Partner and Family Violence
Thematic Analysis
Thematic analysis
Shifting the Center
“You just feel re-violated”
Risk Factors and Social Consequences of Early Pregnancy
The incest like taboo and liberation of victim
You have a lot of mirrors’
A systematic review of the ambivalent sexism literature
The Role of Cultural Beliefs, Norms, and Practices in Nigerian Women’s Experiences of Sexual Abuse and Violence
A New “Shield of the Weak”
The State and Violence Against Women in Peru
Risky Geographies
Small town girls” and “country girls”
Terms of empowerment/exemplars of prevention
I feel scared of being a girl”
Toward a Critical Social Theory of Youth Empowerment
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Law of Prior Consultation
Structural Trauma
Resources, Agency, Achievements
Rethinking Rape Culture
Confined to Care
| Highly cited | No |
|---|