Violence against women in Niterói/RJ: data from the Violence and Accident Surveillance System (2010 to 2014)

Abstract Background Violence against women is a violation of human rights and a public health problem. Objective To analyze surveillance reports of violence against women (aged 10 years or more), living in Niterói, RJ, from 2010 to 2014. Method Descriptive study based on case series was carried out. Case reports and population estimates were provided, respectively, by the National Surveillance Information System (SINAN) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health (DATASUS). Incidence rates and proportions were calculated according to violence related characteristics. Results There were 307 reported cases of violence with incidence rate 26.2 per 100 thousand in the period studied decreased with age. Data incompleteness ranged from zero to 65%. Physical violence (n=186) was the most frequent type, followed by psychological (n=121), sexual (n=96) and negligence (n=64). Adolescents were the main victim of sexual violence (56.3%). Husband, ex-husband, boyfriend or ex-boyfriend were perpetrators in 42.6% of physical assaults, denoting the occurrence of violence between intimate partners. Mother was considered as the perpetrator in 50.7% of negligence cases, reflecting lack of sharing and female burden related to raising children alone. Conclusion Interpersonal/self-induced violence surveillance allow individual interventions and provide data for policy development towards prevention of violence against women.