PELISOLI, Cátula; PIRES, Jarbas Pitaguary Machado; ALMEIDA, Maria Eliete de    DELL'AGLIO, Débora Dalbosco. Sexual violence against children and adolescents: data from a reference service. []. , 18, 1, pp.85-97. ISSN 1413-389X.

This paper presents a survey conducted at a sexual abuse service center for children and adolescents in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data was collected from the files pertaining to five years of service. The variables observed were: victim 's gender and age, referral agency, and region of origin. From January 2002 to December 2006, 4294 cases of victims or suspected victims of sexual violence were seen, with an annual average of 858 cases. The victims were predominantly girls (75%), and they were between 5 and 12 years of age. The cases were referred by many segments of the educational, health, and child protection services. In relation to the location where the cases were originated, the majority came from Porto Alegre, the state capital. It is important to highlight the need to know the population of public health users in order to adjust treatment procedures, and to better integrate services involved in different segments of the protection network.

: Sexual Abuse; Sexual Violence; Child Protection Services.

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