Frequency of self-reported sexual aggression and victimization in Brazil: a literature review

Prevalence, Characteristics, and Factors Associated With Sexual Violence in Adulthood Among Brazilian MSM

Most studies of sexual violence are with women, and although men who have sex with men (MSM) is the group of the men that has been most investigated for sexual violence, there are still several questions to be answered about sexual violence and sexual revictimization among MSM. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of sexual violence in different stages of life and identify factors associated with sexual violence in adulthood among Brazilian MSM. We conducted an analysis with data from the study conducted in 2016 with 4,176 MSM from 12 Brazilian cities recruited through respondent-driven sampling (RDS), who answered a survey to a set of questions, among which some specific about sexual violence. Most participants were under 25 years old (56.5%), with more than 12 years of schooling (71.2%), mixed race (40.8%), single (86.2%), and belonging to some religion (50.9%). The lifetime prevalence of sexual violence was 20.3%. In our analyses, having experienced sexual violence in childhood and adolescence increased the odds of experiencing sexual violence in adulthood (prevalence ratio ratios [PRR] 4.93 (95% CI [1.99, 12.21]), as did experiencing physical violence (PRR 1.99; 95% CI [1.07, 3.71]) and receiving money for sex (PRR 2.26; 95% CI [1.17, 4.36]). In addition to violence in childhood and adolescence being risk factors for sexual violence in adulthood, we also observed that half of the sample experienced sexual violence repeatedly, characterizing sexual revictimization. It is important that health services are prepared to receive boys and men victims in order to reduce the chances of revictimization and other outcomes.

Rape, Child Sexual Abuse, and Mental Health in a Brazilian National Sample

The objective of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported rape and its associations with other forms of violence and mental health outcomes. The Brazilian National Alcohol and Drugs Survey is a probabilistic household survey that collected data from 4,283 Brazilians aged 14 years and older in 2012. The prevalence of rape was 2.3% (n = 107) and the majority (n = 81) of rapes were reported by women. Female gender increased the chances of rape (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.7, 4.3]). Adults aged 35 to 46 years (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = [1.2, 4.4]) and being without religion (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI = [1.3, 3.8]) were also associated with increased chances of rape. Participants with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were 16.5 times (95% CI = [10.1, 26.7]) more likely to report having been raped. Other outcomes related to been raped were history of child prostitution (AOR = 5.1, 95% CI = [2.1, 13.4]) and witnesses of violence during childhood (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI = [1.5, 3.8]). People without social support (AOR≅3, 95% CI = [1.8, 4.3]), victims of multiple recent negative events (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI = [2.4, 5.8]), people with depression (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI = [1.7, 3.9]), history of suicidal ideation (AOR = 3.8, 95% CI = [2.0, 7.1]), and history of suicide attempts (AOR = 2.2, 95% CI = [1.1, 4.3]) are other outcomes related to having been raped. In this sample, rape was related to gender and to other forms of violence and victimization. Self-reports of rape appear to underestimate the true prevalence as the figures obtained from the survey were low. Other methods should be used to investigate this issue.

Epidemiological Profile of the Victims of Sexual Violence Treated at a Referral Center in Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE

 To characterize the sociodemographic profile of women victims of sexual violence treated at a university hospital in southern Brazil.

METHOD

 The present cross-sectional study included all female victims of sexual violence who attended the sexual violence unit at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA, in the Portuguese acronym) from April 18, 2000 to December 31, 2017. Data were extracted from the electronic record of the patients and stored in a standardized questionnaire database with epidemiological aspects of the victim, the perpetrators and the type of aggression. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-squared test for trend and descriptive statistics with 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

 During the length of the study, 711 women victims of sexual violence were treated. The mean age of the patients was 24.4 (±10) years old (range from 11 to 69 years old) and most of the victims were white (77.4%), single (75.9%) and sought care at the unit within 72 hours after the occurrence (80.7%). In most cases, violence was exerted by a single perpetrator (87.1%), who was unknown in 67.2% of cases. Victims < 19 years old showed a higher risk of not using contraception (relative risk [RR] = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.9-3.6).

CONCLUSION

 Most victims of sexual violence were treated within 72 hours of the occurrence. The majority of these victims were white and young, and those < 19 years old had a higher risk of not using contraception and to know the sexual perpetrator.

Limitações da pesquisa do Fórum de Segurança Pública sobre percepção de violência sexual no Brasil

Resumo Este artigo examinou a metodologia da pesquisa de opinião intitulada “Percepção sobre a violência sexual e atendimento a mulheres vítimas nas instituições policiais”, conduzida em 2016 pelo Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública. Os resultados mostraram que a pesquisa possuiu limitações metodológicas quanto à amostragem, análises estatísticas e formulação de seus itens (exemplos: falta de operacionalização de construtos, ambiguidade e expectativa não realista do conhecimento de seus respondentes), que comprometem a legitimidade de seus resultados. Pesquisas de opinião futuras realizadas no Brasil nessa área podem se beneficiar do uso de escalas validadas. O presente artigo não tem o intuito de desacreditar que muitos brasileiros endossam atitudes de tolerância ao estupro. Em vez disso, enfatiza a necessidade de dados confiáveis e válidos que servirão de base para medidas de intervenção.

Prevalence of Sexual Aggression Victimization and Perpetration in Chile: A Systematic Review

Sexual aggression is a major public health issue worldwide, but most knowledge is derived from studies conducted in North America and Western Europe. Little research has been conducted on the prevalence of sexual aggression in developing countries, including Chile. This article presents the first systematic review of the evidence on the prevalence of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration among women and men in Chile. Furthermore, it reports differences in prevalence rates in relation to victim and perpetrator characteristics and victim-perpetrator relationships. A total of N = 28 studies were identified by a three-stage literature search, including the screening of academic databases, publications of Chilean institutions, and reference lists. A great heterogeneity was found for prevalence rates of sexual victimization, ranging between 1.0% and 51.9% for women and 0.4% and 48.0% for men. Only four studies provided perpetration rates, which varied between 0.8% and 26.8% for men and 0.0% and 16.5% for women. No consistent evidence emerged for differences in victimization rates in relation to victims' gender, age, and education. Perpetrators were more likely to be persons known to the victim. Conceptual and methodological differences between the studies are discussed as reasons for the great variability in prevalence rates, and recommendations are provided for a more harmonized and gender-inclusive approach for future research on sexual aggression in Chile.

[Trends in reporting of sexual violence in Brazil from 2009 to 2013]

The objective was to analyze the trends in reporting of sexual violence in Brazil from 2009 to 2013, with special emphasis on rape. An observational times series study was conducted, analyzing data from 2009 to 2013 coming from a secondary database of the Brazilian National Information System for Notificable Diseases (SINAN). The independent variable was the number of reports of sexual violence from 2009 to 2013, which was compared to several sociodemographic, violence-related, and health-related variables. The data were analyzed with a Prais-Winsten generalized linear regression model, determining the variations as stable, upward, or downward by analysis of the coefficient of determination (Pearson's R2) and level of significance set at p < 0.05. The reports of sexual violence showed greater positive variation in the 10-19-year age bracket (364%), indigenous individuals (520%), in the South of Brazil (414%), females (331%), and individuals with low schooling (343%). More than 70% of the reports were rapes, while one-third were repeat offenses, with a downward trend in reports of sexual violence accompanied by beating. The aggressors' characteristics remained stable. The site of violence changed, with fewer cases occurring on public byways. Finally, the reporting rate for rape increased by 590%, with a similar trend in rapes in the household and an increase in case resolutions. The study reveals the sociodemographic profile of cases of sexual violence reported in Brazil and an increase in reported rapes, especially inside the household. There was also an increase in case resolution.