Sexual Violence against Adolescents in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil: An Analysis of Reported Cases

Abstract

Objective: We describe the prevalence of the reported cases of sexual violence against adolescents and analyze their associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study (n = 561) was conducted with reported data on sexual violence against adolescents in the state of Espírito Santo registered in SINAN between 2011 and 2018 to understand the prevalence and predictors of sexual violence against adolescent victims, as well as to describe the perpetrators and the nature of the aggression. Variables to characterize the victim, aggression, and perpetrator were used. Bivariate analyses were performed using chi-square (χ2) and Fisher’s exact tests, and multivariate analyses were conducted using log-binomial models; the results were presented with prevalence ratios. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results: The prevalence of sexual violence was 32.6%, and 93% of the victims were female. In both males and females, the reported sexual violence was associated with a younger age (10–12 years old), living at home, being related to the perpetrator, and a history of sexual violence. In females, the reported sexual violence was also associated with the number of perpetrators, and in males, with the perpetrator’s age. Conclusions: Our findings show the high frequency of reporting of sexual violence and the characteristics of the victim, the aggression, and the aggressor as factors associated with its occurrence in both sexes. The importance of health information systems for disseminating data and the need for measures to prevent and treat the violence among adolescents is urgent.

Prevalence and factors associated with recurrent violence in a southeastern Brazilian state: Cross-sectional study

“…[16,20,21] Family contact with the aggressor, guilt mistakenly attributed to the victim, and fear of humiliation contribute to the non-recording of aggressions and the perpetuation of violence. [16,22,23] Some limitations of this study should be noted, such as the analysis of secondary data and the underreporting of health information systems, in addition to the cross-sectional nature of the study. Actions were taken to minimize these limitations, such as qualifying the database through an instructional manual to reduce inconsistencies.…”

“…[ 16 , 20 , 21 ] Family contact with the aggressor, guilt mistakenly attributed to the victim, and fear of humiliation contribute to the non-recording of aggressions and the perpetuation of violence. [ 16 , 22 , 23 ]…”

Victim Blaming in Rape Culture (Narasi Pemakluman Kekerasan Seksual di Lingkungan Kampus)

“…Kedua bentuk tersebut dibedakan berdasarkan niat pelaku (Quayle & Cooper, 2015). terjadi pada pria dan anak-anak, tidak hanya pada perempuan, karena pada dasarnya merupakan masalah seksualitas (Luis et al, 2022). Dari segi bahasa sendiri, kekerasan seksual dapat berarti sexual violence menurut Bahasa Inggris (Nurbayani, Malihah, et al, 2022).…”