Intimate partner sexual violence among men and women in urban Brazil, 2005

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence among men and women of the Brazilian urban population and factors associated to it. METHODS: The data analyzed is part of the study conducted between 1998 and 2005 among urban populations in Brazil. The data was obtained by means of a questionnaire applied to a representative sample of 5.040 individuals, men and women 16 to 65 years of age. Descriptive analysis was undertaken with weighted data, utilizing F design- based tests, with 5% signifi cance. RESULTS: The global prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence was 8.6%, being predominant among women (11.8% versus 5.1%). Women consistently reported higher rates of violence then men, except in cases involving homo/ bissexual partners. The rate verifi ed for male homo/bisexuals was signifi cantly greater than that found among male heterosexuals, but this difference in rates was not signifi cant among women. The Black population, irrespective of sex, referred more violence than theWhite population. The lower the income and years of formal education, the greater the rates of violence. However, men from poorer regions referred more violence, but this did not occur with respect to women. Diverse situations with respect to work, use of condoms, lower age at fi rst intercourse and number of partners during the last fi ve years differed signifi cantly among women, but not among men. For both men and women sexual violence was associated with being separated or divorced, having had STDs, self- evaluation of being at risk for HIV, but was not associated with testing positive for HIV. CONCLUSIONS: The high magnitude of sexual violence as well as female surtax is confi rmed. Violence as a result of gender confl icts, that pervades social stratifi cation and ethnic groups is reiterated. As to the Aids epidemic, sexual violence is an important factor to be taken into consideration when discussing the feminization of the population affected by the disease.