Sexual violence: an analysis of data related to indecent assault

Abstract

Objective: To describe the profile of people submitted to the Indecent Assault Evaluation (IAE) at the Nucleus for Legal Medicine and Dentistry (NUMOL) in Campina Grande - PB, Brazil. Methods: This is a descriptive and documentary survey carried out with medical reports of incident assault performed against men and women of any age, who were evaluated at the Nucleus for Legal Medicine and Dentistry (NUMOL) in Campina Grande - PB, Brasil, from 2005 to 2009. Data collection instrument was a specially designed form based on existing information in the IAE records. Data was recorded in SPSS, version 17, and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Male individuals (n = 85; 62%), under the age of 20 (n = 112; 81.8%) were the main victims. The notification of sexual violence was carried out by the parents (n = 34; 24.8%), mostly by the mother (n = 27; 19.7%), and the police stations were the most frequent location to express the complaint (n = 134; 97.8%). The violence was committed by a single perpetrator (n = 78; 56.9%), who was known by the victim (n = 88; 64.2%). The crime of rape was confirmed in (n = 48) 35% of cases. Conclusion: The men, most of them young, are the main victims of indecent assault, and violence is committed by one individual, member of the victim’s social circle.