O fenômeno da violência no Brasil e na América Latina: diversas abordagens teórico-metodológicas

Abstract

The publication of a special issue on the theme of violence in the Ciência & Saúde Coletiva journal reflects the scale of the phenomenon of violence in our Latin American reality as a cause of suffering and pain among children, adolescents, the elderly, women and men. Violence is one of the leading groups of causes of death and injury in the population and has an impact on decelerating the increase in life expectancy in our countries. In addition, the articles show that the researchers are aware of this reality and contribute with a wealth of knowledge about the magnitude, determinants, inequalities and impacts of violence on the health and quality of life of our population, as well as in the evaluation of the interventions to combat violence.This thematic volume has 30 articles that address differentquantitative and qualitative methodological approaches and systematic reviews of the scientific literature, as well as different sources of information. The articles can be organized into three thematic groups: (i) interpersonal violence that covers the different cycles of life. In infancy and adolescence, the authors address neglect, bullying and sexual violence. In violence against women, the articles analyze physical violence and feminicide, identifying trends in these deaths in Brazil. In violence against the elderly, the articles analyze intimate partner violence and suicide in patients with terminal illness; (ii) institutional violence in which the authors analyze violence involving female prisoners and the relationship between health professionals and users within the scope of the health services of the Unified Health System (SUS); (iii) studies that analyze strategies for coping with violence, whether through psycho-therapeutic interventions or the preservation of popular culture in specific population groups.Among the articles, the ones that use the Violence and Accident Surveillance System (VIVA)of SUS as a data source stand out. They reveal the potential of this source of information to estimate the magnitude of violence and to evaluate the determinants of the various forms of violence in Brazil. The analyses present the profile of interpersonal violence according to the type of violence, gender, race, color, schooling and cycles of life, as well as identify the main aggressors and which instruments are used to perpetrate violence on each group of victims. Two articles that use VIVA emphasize the innovative use of the linkage procedure between the VIVA and the Information System on Live Births (Sinasc)databases.Their results show the impacts and consequences of sexual violence against female adolescents, as well as the quality of health care offered to these victims.Overall, despite the specificities of each contribution, the 30 articles encapsulate scientific investigations of diverse theoretical and methodological conceptions. Their conclusions should be seen as an invitation to conduct new studies, which can increase knowledge, especially when it is a phenomenon of intense complexity, revealing a web o...

Análise epidemiológica sobre mortes violentas e mortes suspeitas investigadas no Instituto Médico Legal da cidade de Maceió, no período de 2018 a 2020 / Epidemiological analysis of violent deaths and suspicious deaths investigated at the Instituto Médico Legal in the city of Maceió, from 2018 to 2020

“…Ela causa lesão na população e impacta no declínio da expectativa de vida no país e em ambiente global, produz sofrimento e dor em crianças, adolescentes e idosos independente do sexo. Além de afetar individualmente, esse problema social engloba diversas esferas coletivas e atua de forma interdisciplinar em seu desenvolvimento, em sua prevenção e em sua resolução (SOUSA, 2017).…”

Preventing crime and violence through social, educational and informational interventions

“…When high rates of violence and crime emerge, these may indicate a certain degree of social breakdown, as they produce direct effects on human well-being, economic growth, and on the social development of regions, countries and their societies (González, 2017). Violence is among the main causes of death and injuries in the region (Morais and Gomes, 2017), in fact, homicide rates are equated to epidemic levels (Chinchilla, in press). Violence is a widespread issue throughout Latin American countries and there is a large wealth of specialized sources that analyze this issue, both historically and contemporarily.…”

“…In 2017, two scientific journals prepared special issues dedicated on violence in Latin America. Cieˆncia & Sau´de Coletiva gathered 30 articles with various methodological approaches to study the subject as a complex phenomenon that implies historical, social, political, economic, cultural, psychological and biological aspects (Morais and Gomes, 2017). Crime, Law and Social Change sought to rethink aspects related to: organized crime, collective violence and insecurity, stability, political order, the real politics of crime and violence, the collapse of legality, the power of informal institutions, 'crimilegal orders', and criminalized electoral politics (Schultze-Kraft, Chinchilla and Moriconi, in press).…”