SUMMARY
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to describe the current situation of sexual aggression and assess the adhesion to ambulatory care follow-up.
METHODS:
This is a cross-sectional study involving female children and adolescents aged 0–19 years, treated at the Center for Multiprofessional Care of Sexual Violence of the General Hospital of Nova Iguaçu, from 2014 to 2018.
RESULTS:
Of the 453 children and adolescents, 264 (58.3%) were <14 years of age and 189 (41.7%) were 14–19 years of age. In both groups, 78% were black. School delay of >2 years was found in 15.6% of children in the age group <14 years and 40.5% of adolescents in the age group 14–19 years [p<0.001; OR=3.7 (2.1–65)]. In girls aged £13 years, abuse usually occurred at home (73.2%), which was perpetrated by one aggressor (91%) and known to the victim (91.2%). In adolescents aged ≥14 years, 84.1% of rapes occurred outside the home, practiced by one aggressor (74.8%), 57.8% were unknown, and in 91.2% of cases, there was use of physical force and/or verbal threats. The victims aged <14 years have 14 times more chance of experiencing aggression within the family setting [p<0.001; OR=14.3 (8.2–25.6)] and 16 times more chance of experiencing aggression from known persons [p<0.001; OR=16.2 (9.2–29.8)]. On the contrary, adolescents aged ≥14 years have three times more chance of being abused by more than one aggressor [p<0.001; OR=3.3 (1.8–6.1)].
CONCLUSION:
Black girls, especially those aged <14 years, are in a situation of greater vulnerability for sexual violence, have less adhesion to follow-up, and often experience aggression in the household setting.
KEYWORDS:
Sex offenses; Gender-based violence; Rape