ABSTRACT
Objective
to characterize violence against children notified in the city of Porto Alegre.
Method
a retrospective study, including 5,308 cases of violence against children from zero to twelve years of age registered in the Notifiable Diseases Information System in the city of Porto Alegre.
Results
the mean age was 5.95 ± 3.86 years old, with predominance of female children (61%). Sexual violence was the most reported (53%). Most of the perpetrators were male (68%) and 72% of the cases occurred at the victim's home. Girls are more susceptible to sexual violence. Male children suffer more physical violence and neglect.
Conclusion and implications for the practice
the results demonstrate the importance of knowing the profile of violence for intervention and for the elaboration of inter-sectoral public policies, as well as for the training of the multi-professional team to recognize the problem at the time of assistance and the proper referral.
Keywords:
Violence; Public Health; Child; Aggression; Unified Health System