Magnitude e caracterização de situações de coerção sexual vivenciadas por jovens de três grandes capitais brasileiras: Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro e Salvador

Abstract

The article estimates the magnitude of sexual coercion among young adults in three large Brazilian cities. In addition to evaluating prevalence, the article analyzes the victim's and perpetrator's characteristics, identifies the main strategies used in coercion, and explores the social scenarios that favor the occurrence of sexual violence. The article draws on data from a household survey called the GRAVAD Project, conducted in Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador and completed in 2002. Interviews were applied to a stratified sample of males and females aged 18-24 years, with 4,634 respondents (47.2% males and 52.8% females). Prevalence of some lifetime experience as victims of sexual coercion was estimated at 16.5% for women and 11.1% for men. Victim's and perpetrator's age in the first episode, the type of relationship between them, and the forms of pressure varied between males and females. The magnitude of such events, differences between men and women, and the higher prevalence rates in certain population sub-groups demand immediate preventive policies and strategies.

Frequency of self-reported sexual aggression and victimization in Brazil: a literature review

“…Despite the heterogeneity of methods and limited comparability of data, the review showed that sexual aggression is a pervasive problem in young adulthood 3,14,29,38,39,40,43 and is much more prevalent than identified by official data. Studies that used the same definition of sexual victimization and same time interval showed comparable rates, suggesting consistency of the instrument across samples.…”

“…One study found that female and male prevalence rates of victimization were higher in the North and Northeast, but the difference was only statistically significant in men 13 . A second study showed that the total rate of 16.7% for sexual coercion among young people in Salvador (Northeast Brazil) was significantly higher than the 10.9% in Porto Alegre (South) and 13.1% in Rio de Janeiro (Southeast) 3 . Two other publications also found that the South showed the lowest victimization rates, but the authors did not test the difference for statistical significance 23,24 .…”

“…Twenty-six studies included women only, four studies men only, and 11 studies both women and men (Table 2). Five studies addressed same-sex sexual aggression 13,14,29,34,35 , and 12 studies provided information on race issues 3,13,21,23,24,26,30,32,34,35,36,37 .…”

“…One group of studies found that white individuals were significantly less likely to report sexual victimization 3,13,26 . A second group of studies found no significant difference in victimization rates according to skin color 21,30,34,35,36 .…”

“…According to self-report studies in Brazil, only 2.4% of female and 0% of male sexual assault victims reported their cases to law enforcement 3 . Victims' access to the health system is also limited 4 , and there is evidence that many health professionals are unqualified to identify and appropriately refer victims to law enforcement 5,6 .…”