Epidemiological characterization of sexual violence in southeast of northern Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual violence is any physical, coercive act of intimidation with psychological potential against another person, occurring especially among females, in any age group. Objective: Present an epidemiological characterization of cases of sexual violence regarding the number of cases, age group and gender between 2014 and 2019 in the municipality of Tucuruí-PA. Methods: This is a descriptive, comparative and retrospective cross-sectional study. Data collection was carried out through notifications in protocols of state and municipal government agencies, in the city of Tucuruí-PA. For data analysis, Fisher's exact test and Mann Whitney test were used. Results: The institution with the highest number of notifications was by the State instrument, with 771 cases notified during the period 2014 to 2019, (∆%=631%; p<0.001) compared to the municipal instrument, which presented a total of 140 cases notified. As for the gender difference, women are the most affected by this type of violence in both bodies analyzed, as well as, with respect to the most affected age group, childhood, adolescence and young adults are the ones who suffer most from the problem of sexual violence, according to data from both bodies. Conclusion: The profile of sexual violence in the city of Tucuruí is predominant among women, in the age group that goes from childhood to adulthood. The data used from the two institutions during the study period showed statistical differences, with the State notification instrument being the body with the highest number of notifications in all comparisons performed.