In Brazil capitals, 15% of kids aged 13–15 have faced sexual violence
Approximately 15 percent of Brazilian kids aged 13 through 15 have fallen victims to some form of sexual violence—from harassment to rape. Of these, almost six percent have experienced forced sexual intercourse. The figures cover students in the capitals of all 27 Brazilian states in a national survey on the health of school kids, released today (Jul 13) by the country’s statistics agency IBGE.
Sexual violence has been under the radar since 2015. This edition of the study attempted to gauge the percentage of students who had been forced to have sexual intercourse. The result showed that 3.7 percent of ninth-graders in state capitals had.
The research revealed that adolescents are often not sure about what can be considered sexual violence and what cannot. This is why the survey changed in 2019 to include examples—like being touched, manipulated, or kissed, or having parts of their bodies exposed. The proportion then increased to about 15 percent, with almost six percent having faced forced sexual intercourse.
In addition to the surge in sexual violence reports, the study also shows an increase in physical violence targeting adolescents. The percentage of students who suffered bodily aggression by an adult in the family saw a gradual increment in ten years, rising from 9.4 percent in 2009 to 11.6 percent in 2012, then to 16 percent in 2015. In 2019, 27.5 percent of students had sustained some physical aggression from their parent or guardian, and 16.3 percent of students suffered such attacks from other people.
About the research
The study is conducted in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, collecting data to measure risk and protection factors surrounding the health of Brazilian teenagers. In addition to sexual violence, several aspects linked to physical and emotional health are covered, such as safety at home and in school, access to the internet, condom use, and teenagers’ relationship with their own bodies and with food.
In the publication, IBGE researchers outline the trends brought to light in previous editions—2009, 2012, 2015, and 2019. Since the methodology has changed over the years, the researchers sought to make results comparable by considering only ninth graders in this survey—a smaller sample than the research as a whole, which considers 13–17-year-olds.
