In Brazil, the majority (67%) of the 69,418 rapes committed between 2015 and 2019 were victims of girls between the ages of 10 and 14. It is what highlights the study Leaving no one behind – pregnancy, motherhood and sexual violence in adolescence, from the Data and Knowledge Integration Center for Health (Cidacs), linked to the Oswaldo Cruz Bahia Foundation (Fiocruz). The Institute of Collective Health of the Federal University of Bahia (ISC/UFBA) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also signed the survey.
Data from the Information System on Live Births (Sinasc) and the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan-Datasus) of the Ministry of Health supported the survey. During the analysis period, adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 represented 33% of all rape victims.
Still on the profile of the victims, what can be seen is that brown girls prevail (54.75%). Soon after, white (34.3%), black (9.43%) and, finally, indigenous (1.2%) girls appear.
Another data that consolidates once again, as in other studies, concerns the relationship between victims and aggressors. According to the survey, 62.41% of the perpetrators of the crime were known to the victims, against only 17.22% of unknowns.
Through the notifications gathered by the federal government, three relevant data are also observed. The first is the fact that rape often takes place in the victim’s home. In total, 63.16% of the episodes took place in this context. In 24.8% of cases, the location was public and, in 1.39% of cases, the rape took place in a school.
“It is evident that adolescents do not always find a place of protection in the family”, shows the study.
For the manager of the Bem Me Quer Project, at Hospital da Mulher, psychologist Daniela Pedroso, it is necessary to bear in mind that, as well as in relationships between a woman and her partner, in which he attacks her, the emotions of underage victims are mixed, when the aggressor is someone from your circle. In many cases, the aggressor causes confusion in the victim’s feelings, including by proposing that she keep the incident to herself, as if it were an agreement of trust that cannot be broken, since the consequence would be to lose the aggressor’s affection.
“We are talking about known aggressors, people who often also provide good, positive things for these children. That is why it is so important to take care of this, because we are talking about something that is treated by the sexual aggressor as a secret, something that cannot be counted,” he warns.
“Child sexual abuse is chronic and recurrent. We are talking about the person who should protect them. This is a fact that always comes up and that still shocks a lot, because it is the ambivalence not only of the child’s feelings, but also of the ambivalence of the aggressor’s behavior,” adds Daniela, who now coordinates the Sexual Violence Outpatient Clinic at the unit and has worked there for 26 years.
In the psychologist’s assessment, the quality of care is a factor capable of defining the victims’ stay in the hospital, according to the recommendations. According to her, in addition to offering prophylaxis treatment, which protects them against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and is most effective within a 72-hour window after the rape, the Women’s Hospital also offers care in other important areas. They are referral to social workers, who guide and welcome, and consultations with pediatricians or gynecologists from the outpatient clinic team and with psychologists. Victims have the right to receive care even without filing a police report, that is, they just need to go to the unit.
“The way they are received by the service will impact not only their adherence to treatment but also the entire process they undergo with us”, emphasizes Daniela.
Regarding the contribution of psychologists, the manager assesses that it is in mitigating the psychic suffering, from the transformation of the memory around the rape that was experienced. “People ask, will my daughter forget? We cannot erase this from the memory of this child, this teenager, but we need to work in the best possible way so that this does not become a recurring, everyday memory. I think this is very important. And also that she can give new meaning to this trauma”.
