Forum - Sexual violence and health. Introduction

This forum focuses on the health sector's response to sexual violence against women, analyzing the policies formulated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the protocol in two academic health centers. The premise is that an approach to sexual violence requires the discussion of women's autonomy in relation to their bodies and thus their right to abortion. This intrinsic link between sexual violence and morally and politically loaded issues has contributed to the relatively slow response by the public health sector in Brazil. However, the pioneering experience of two academic health centers in treating rape victims demonstrates the importance of these issues in the training of health professionals and the need to guarantee women's expanded and ongoing access to these services.