Perfil da violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes em uma cidade do sul de Santa Catarina

Introduction: Child sexual violence is defined as the involvement of a child or adolescent in any sexual act, the minor being unable to fully understand or consent, due to age, incompatible development or the relationship with the aggressor. This study aimed to outline the profile of sexual violence against children and adolescents from 0 to 18 years old, of the cases registered in the city of Tubarao-SC, from January 2014 to December 2018. Methods: Cross-sectional study, with the Police Station for Protection of Child, Adolescent, Woman and Elderly as a source of data collection. Results: 125 cases of sexual abuse committed against children and adolescents during this period were analyzed, of which 97 involved female victims and 28 male victims. The boys were victims at an earlier age. The cases occurred almost equally among children and adolescents, with a slight prevalence in children under 12 years old. The victim's residence was the most frequent place of abuse (69.9%). The aggressors were predominantly male (94.4%) and acted alone (95.2%). Most abusers had a family bond with the victim (45.6%) or were known to the family (43.2%). Among the relatives, the stepfather and the father were the ones who appeared most frequently. Most cases occurred chronically. Conclusion: The characteristics of child sexual violence were very similar to that of several studies, and the family environment that should protect these victims becomes the most frequent place of abuse.