A study published by the Institute of Applied Economic Research (Ipea) estimates that 822,000 rapes occur in Brazil per year, the equivalent of two cases per minute.
Ipea also calculates that only 8.5% of these cases are reported to the police, and only 4.2% are identified by the health system. That is, in addition to impunity for the aggressor, most victims also do not receive medical care after the abuse.
The study was based on data from the National Health Survey, from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (PNS/IBGE), and from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan), from the Ministry of Health, with the reference year 2019.
The data indicate a higher occurrence of sexual violence in victims between 13 and 16 years of age, mostly women.
The Institute points out that there are four main groups of aggressors: partners and ex-partners; relatives; friends or colleagues; and unknown.
According to those responsible for the research, the estimate of 822,000 rapes per year is still conservative. Records of sexual violence largely depend on the decision of the victim or the victim’s family to report and/or seek help from the health system, which makes the number of reported cases far from the actual number.
Many victims do not report the crime to any public agency, either because of shame, guilt, family pressure or other factors.
Sexual violence is often associated with depression, anxiety, impulsivity, eating, sexual and mood disorders, changes in sleep quality, in addition to being a risk factor for suicidal behavior.
Source: CNN Brasil
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