Child Sexual Abuse in the Federal Distric, Brazil: Documentary Analysis of Medical Care in Health Institutions

Abstract

This is a documentary research aimed at the characterization of sexual abuse against children, based on the records of a public health institution of the protection network for children and adolescents in the Federal District (Brazil), which is one of the actors that must perform tertiary prevention for victims of sexual abuse and their rapists. Fifty one cases of sexually abused children were identified in the last 13 years, of which 35 were included in the analysis, according to the following information: age of reception by the institution, occurrence of sexual abuses, lapse of time between date of the assault and reception, lapse of time between date of reception and provision of service, level of education, housing, religion, family income, intra- or extra-familial sexual abuse. The quantitative analysis was based on descriptive statistics to characterize the victim´s profile and the context of the sexual abuse. Participants showed similarities to data obtained in Southern Brazil with respect to age of abuse, lower prevalence of sexual abuse in boys than in girls, and level of education. The lapse of time between sexual victimization and arrival at an institution is usually from 2 to 3 years. The family income of this clientele seen in the public agency is between 2 to 3 minimum wages (60 dollars). Results reveal that overcrowding is a peculiarity in family organization as a result of settlement policies in the region. Such an organization increases the vulnerability of children and adolescents and constitutes a risk factor for the occurrence of intra- and extra-familial sexual abuse.