In Brazil, one of the principal causes of morbimortality is violence against children and adolescents. Sexual violence affects the young, female population, causing multiple and irreparable damage to the victims. It is generally followed by physical and psychological violence, as well as negligence. This study sought to characterize the cases of violence against children, involving sexual abuse, reported to the Conselho Tutelar (the Brazilian child protection service) of the municipal district of Itajaí - SC, a total of 340 cases during the period 1999 to 2003. It was observed that in the majority of cases, the victims are female, the violence occurs within the home and the perpetrator is the father of the victim. The most commonly occurring acts of violence were indecent assault, practiced repeatedly, involving children aged between 7 and 19 years, who are between the 1st and 4th grades of elementary school. This type of violence has been on the increase, hence the relevance of this analysis for helping health professionals to identify risk factors in advance.
Domestic violence; Child abuse sexual; Family
