Notification of violence against women in the city of São Paulo, 2008-2015

Abstract Background Violence demands health care due to the physical and psychological injuries it causes and consequently compromises the individual's quality of life. Notification is a dimension of the care line, which also enables to give visibility to the problem of violence and subsidizes public policies. Objective To describe the characteristics of violence against women reported in the city of São Paulo, 2008-2015. Method a descriptive ecological study on the cases of interpersonal violence against women aged 20 to 59 years registered in the city of São Paulo, evaluating the temporal trend by simple linear regression and the characteristics of those involved and violence. Results We identified 43,256 reported cases, evidencing an increase in the period (β = 0.001; p = 0.006); with physical aggression as predominant (81.3%) and among women aged 20-29 years old (37.6%). The aggressor was male (47.7%) and known (62.5%), occurring at victim’s home (31.6%); the head (31.7%) and limbs (21.4%) were the most affected parts of the body causing mainly trauma (60.0%). Conclusion Reports of violence against women have increased in the city of São Paulo, but physical violence, which has greater visibility, still stands out, suggesting the existence of underreporting.