Perfil sociodemográfico de mulheres sexualmente violentadas antes e durante a pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we globally experienced drastic changes in our daily routines, requiring social isolation to control the disease and its aggravations. There were several repercussions on interpersonal relationships and, consequently, on the occurrence of violence, particularly against women. Seeking to better understand sexual violence in the pandemic context, a study was carried out with the following objectives: to describe and analyze the sociodemographic characterization of sexually violated women treated at a reference hospital unit before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; comparatively analyze the epidemiological data about this phenomenon practiced against women; and describe the care/treatment performed with women who were sexually abused during this period. This is a documentary, descriptive, retrospective research with a qualitative approach to the phenomenon of sexual violence against women carried out in a public hospital unit in the city of Rio de Janeiro, a reference for the care of people who experience sexual violence. The study included an analysis of the profile of women served in the pre-pandemic period (2019) compared to the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). An analysis of records of care was performed, containing identification data, characteristics of the occurrence of violence and health care. Based on the results obtained, three analytical categories were constructed: social characterization of women treated at a reference hospital unit for sexual offenses who experienced sexual violence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; characterization of sexual violence against women before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and care practices and/or treatments applied to women who experienced sexual violence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the reference unit. In general, there were no significant changes in the sociodemographic profile of women who were sexually abused before and during the pandemic who resorted to the reference health unit in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is assumed that there was a failure to comply with social isolation by women, due to the increase in the number of women raped in crowded places. The late search for care and reduced outpatient follow-up after sexual violence are aspects that demand strategies that emphasize the importance of early and continuous care for these women