Guardianship Councilors' views on the effectiveness of the existing network in providing full protection to children and teenagers in situations of sexual violence.

This article aimed to ascertain the point of view of Guardianship Councilors about the main difficulties of operation and mobilization faced by the Guardianship Councils network in ensuring full protection to children and teenagers in a situation of sexual abuse and exploitation in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The qualitative study, based on thematic analysis of 12 interviews (with individuals and as focus groups), reconstituted the scenario reported by the Councilors and the limitations that they experienced on their sphere of activity. The results indicate the following problems perceived: (i) insufficiency of institutions for specialized care; (ii) professionals without the necessary training/experience; (iii) delays; and (iv) lack of communication and coordination between institutions able to ensure the necessary protection measures for the cases concerned.