This is a phenomenological and hermeneutic study. Its objective is to reveal the meaning of "care" for children and adolescents who have suffered domestic violence. The investigation was carried out in two casas-lares (orphanage houses) in Florianópolis. These houses functioned as temporary shelters for either girls or boys who had suffered some kind of violence in their homes. The descriptions obtained through the answers and drawings of eighteen children and adolescents enabled us to characterize "care " as a way of promoting life, expressing oneself, relating to the environment, denying past experiences and resisting in order to survive.
care; meanings; domestic violence