Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug;9(4):1506-1516.
doi: 10.1007/s40615-021-01089-2. Epub 2021 Jun 25.

Intersection of Race and Gender in Self-Reports of Violent Experiences and Polyvictimization by Young Girls in Brazil

Dandara de Oliveira Ramos  1   2 , Emanuelle Freitas Goes  3 , Andrêa Jacqueline Fortes Ferreira  4   3
Affiliations

Intersection of Race and Gender in Self-Reports of Violent Experiences and Polyvictimization by Young Girls in Brazil

Dandara de Oliveira Ramos et al. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: To explore racial disparities in self-reports of violent victimization and polyvictimization among young girls in Brazil and to analyze the distribution of prevalence rates across race groups and the estimated odds of exposure.

Design: Data from girls ages 15 and above (N=14,809) from the 2015 edition of PeNSE (National Adolescent School-based Health Survey) were analyzed. Survey weighted proportions and bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to address the objectives.

Results: Independent of the girls' age, socioeconomic status, and region of residence, black, indigenous, mixed, and Asian descendant girls (relative to Whites) were more likely to report past experiences of being bullied, suffering physical violence, forced sexual intercourse, and polyvictimization (reporting all three events). Blacks had the highest rates of reporting being bullied and polyvictimization. Asian descendants had the highest reports of physical violence. Indigenous girls had the highest reports of forced sexual intercourse.

Conclusions: This study documented disproportionate risks of violent victimization for young women of color among Brazilian students. The risks were significantly greater for those of darker skin tones and from ethnic minorities.

Implications: These findings can inform the development of programs to protect young women from violence in Brazil and highlight the importance of including anti-racism strategies in such programs.

Keywords: Adolescents; Intersectionality; Polyvictimization; Racism; Violence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Odds ratios (95%CI) bullying, physical aggression, forced sexual intercourse, and polyvictimization by race/skin color. Logistic regression models adjusted by age, geographical region (North, Northeast, Center West, Southeast and South [reference category]), and socioeconomic position (ABEP criteria: levels A, B2, C1, C2, D-E). PeNSE Survey 2015 (girls age 15 and above, N=14,809), Brazil
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Saffioti HIB. Contribuições feministas para o estudo da violência de gênero. Cad Pagu. 2001 (16):115–36. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0104-83332001000100007&script=sci_...
    1. Blake M de T, Drezett J, Vertamatti MA, Adami F, Valenti VE, Paiva AC, et al. Characteristics of sexual violence against adolescent girls and adult women. BMC Womens Health. 2014;14:15. doi: 10.1186/1472-6874-14-15. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Delziovo CR, Bolsoni CC, Nazário NO, Coelho EBS. Características dos casos de violência sexual contra mulheres adolescentes e adultas notificados pelos serviços públicos de saúde em Santa Catarina, Brasil. Cad Saúde Pública [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2020 28];33(6). Available from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2017000... - PubMed
    1. Oliveira JR de, Costa MCO, Amaral MTR, Santos CA, Assis SG de, Nascimento OC do. Violência sexual e coocorrências em crianças e adolescentes: estudo das incidências ao logo de uma década. Ciênc saúde coletiva 2014 [cited 2020 28];19(3):759–71. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-8123201400... - PubMed
    1. Bandeira LM. Violência de gênero: a construção de um campo teórico e de investigação. Soc estado 2014 [cited 2020 28];29(2):449–69. Available from: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-69922014000...

Publication types