The dissertation entitled “Children who protest: political participation of children and adolescents in Recife (1990)”, proposes an analysis of the political participation of these groups in the city of Recife during the year 1990, a period marked by human rights violations. The methodology adopted covers the analysis of periodicals, such as Jornal do Commercio and Diário de Pernambuco, as well as transcribed oral reports from children and adolescents' rights activists who worked in that situation, and consultation with legislation. The dissertation is structured in three parts: In the first, we outline Recife as a scenario permeated by human rights violations, highlighting the historical persistence of the Minorist culture. In the second part of the dissertation, we investigated the identity of children and adolescents who played an active role in the city's political scene in 1990. We analyzed the motivations underlying the political participation of these children and adolescents, and we analyzed the strategic locations used for mobilizations. In the third part, we seek to conceptualize what characterizes effective citizen participation, highlighting the legal and theoretical aspects that permeate this concept. We then carried out an analysis of the main organizations that mobilized the political participation of children and adolescents in 1990, contextualizing the role of these institutions in the social and political scenario of the time. Finally, we present evidence that demonstrates citizen and democratic political participation on the part of children and adolescents.