Profile of female survivors of sexual violence in the first 6 months of the COVID‐19 quarantine in the city of Campinas, Brazil: A cross‐sectional retrospective study

Abstract

ObjectivesDescribe the characteristics and changes in the profile of women who sought care after experiencing sexual violence (SV) during the first six months of the COVID‐19 pandemic in a Brazilian city.MethodsThis is a cross‐sectional retrospective study. Data from emergency care and legal abortion requests of women assisted at the Women's Health Care Center Hospital (School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas, Brazil) due to SV experienced between March 23 and August 23, 2020 (Quarantine Group, QG), were collected and compared with data from the same period of the previous biennium (Comparison Group, CG). χ2 and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare groups; the significance level was 5%.ResultsData for 236 women were analyzed; 70 women were included in the QG and 166 in the CG. In the QG, there was a restriction in the area of origin of women, with a higher proportion of women who lived in Campinas (P = 0.0007) and a higher frequency of chronic SV (P = 0,035). There were no rapes associated with the use of social media or apps in the QG, but 9.8% of women in the CG experienced rape associated with the use of social media or apps. There were higher rates of domestic violence (P = 0.022) and intimidation through physical force (P = 0.011) in the first two months.ConclusionThe COVID‐19 quarantine affected the profile of women who sought care after experiencing SV. The quarantine resulted in changes in the area of origin of patients, hindering access to health services and leading to higher rates of chronic and domestic SV, particularly in the first 2 months of the pandemic.