Perfil das vítimas de violência sexual atendidas pelo ambulatório de saúde da mulher da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the cases of sexual violence against women treated at the Women's Health Outpatient Clinic at the HC in the years 2021 and 2022 and to verify the variables associated with the performance of legal abortion. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using secondary data from medical records of victims of sexual violence treated at the women's health clinic at HC/UFMG. All medical records opened between 2021 and 2022 were evaluated and information related to the women, the aggressor, the circumstances in which the violence occurred and the care received was analyzed. The data were tabulated in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and descriptive and comparative analyzes of the information were carried out using the SPSS program, version 20.0. The study was approved by the UFMG Research Ethics Committee. RESULTS: Information was collected from 97 women treated at the Outpatient Clinic, 53.6% (n=52) in 2021 and 46.4% (n=45) in 2022. The average age of women receiving care was 28.2 years (ranging between 11-61 years). The most prevalent skin color was brown (55.7%) followed by white (25.8%). The majority of women (n=78; 80.4%) declared themselves heterosexual and with more than 13 years of education (n=44; 45.4%). Approximately 32% of women had some mental disorder, with mood disorders being the most prevalent (93.3%). In 28.9% (n=28) of cases, sexual violence occurred in the aggressor's home or car, followed by the victim's home (21.6%) and another residence belonging to a family member or acquaintance (18.6%). The period in which SV most occurred was during the night/early morning (n=68; 76.4%); 44.6% (n=41) suffered psychological/verbal violence or physical violence. In 55,7% of cases (n=54), women were conscious at the time of the violence and 63.9% (n=62) said they knew their attackers. In 27.4% of cases (n=26), the aggressor knew but did not have an intimate relationship with the victim (they were friends of acquaintances or co-workers); 18.6% (n=18) were intimate partners or ex-partners; 8.2% (n=8) were acquaintances from dating apps and 8.2% (n=8). SV resulted in pregnancy in 63.8% of cases, among which, 42 patients (43.3%) underwent Legal Abortion at HC/UFMG. The majority of women (66,0%) did not use emergency contraception and only 18.6% received the morning-after pill. A police report was registered in 23.7% of cases and evidence collection was done in only 14.4%. The time elapsed between the violence and seeking first care varied from 1 day to 18 years, with 42.3% of victims arriving at the service between 1 and 3 months and 6.2% after 6 months of the violent event. In general, the majority of attackers were between 30-40 years old and were most often white. The following were associated with legal abortion: age of the victim at time of violence; location of violence; repeat violence; aggressor is known or not; and use of emergency contraception. CONCLUSIONS: More than ⅓ of the women sought care after confirming their pregnancy, with an average time to arrive at the service of two months after the violence, missing the opportunity to receive emergency contraception and prophylaxis for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). The women's health clinic at HC/UFMG provides comprehensive care, however, women's lack of adherence to outpatient follow-up may reflect the victims' avoidance of situations that resemble the traumatic event. This approach can be improved through the evolution of existing public policies, aiming to provide victims with humane care and ensure safety for outpatient follow-up, which is a fundamental strategy for the care of these women within the SUS.

Keywords: Sexual violence; Violence against women; Legal interruption of pregnancy.