Gender vulnerability and human rights violation in a metropolitan area of Brazil’s capital

Leides Barroso Azevedo Moura, Universidade de Brasília
Ana Maria Nogales Vasconcelos, Universidade de Brasília

Cross-sectional study conducted in 2007 that captured gender vulnerability and human rights violation perpetrated by intimate partners of 278 women aged between 15 and 49 years old that live in a metropolitan area of Brazil’s capital, Brasília. The methodology and survey instrument used were developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and adapted to local needs to ensure comparability to international data. Results showed one of the highest prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual violence against women found in Brazilian literature in recent years. The prevalence of having experienced psychological violence was the highest one: N = 223; 80,2%. The prevalence of physical violence reported was N = 163; 58,6% and prevalence of women who were sexually abused by a current or former partner was N = 80; 28,8. Logistic regression analysis was applied to better understand the variables involved in this phenomenon.