Characterization of sexual violence against children and adolescents in school - Brazil, 2010-2014

Abstract

Objective:

to describe the reports of sexual violence against children and adolescents at school, in Brazil, from 2010 to 2014.

Methods:

a descriptive study on the characteristics of the victims, the event, the aggressor and the attendance among the records of compulsory notification of sexual violence against children (0-9 years) and adolescents (10-19 years) at school; we used data from the Notification of Injury Information System (Sinan).

Results:

2,226 reports of sexual violence occurred at school, of which 1,546 (69.5%) were children and 680 (30.5%) were adolescents; the average age of the victims was 7.4 years and the median age was 6 years; prevalence of female victims (63.8%) and, most of the time, the aggressor was male (88.9%).

Conclusion:

children and adolescents are exposed to sexual violence at school, a place that supposedly should guarantee protection, healthy development and safety for schoolchildren.

Keywords:
Sex Offenses; Mandatory Reporting; School Health; Child Abuse, Sexual; Epidemiology, Descriptive