Descriptive study of reported cases of sexual violence and specialized care services in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2019

OBJECTIVE: to describe the sociodemographic profile of reported cases of sexual violence (SV) and the distribution of care services for this health condition in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2019. METHODS: this was a descriptive study of the cases of sexual violence reported on the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System and care services registered in the National Health Establishment Registry. RESULTS: a total of 4,418 notifications of SV were identified during the study period, representing more than 12 notifications per day; the majority of notifications were among females (87.0%) and among children and adolescents (72.0%); the distribution of care services showed care gaps in four of the 14 health macro-regions of the state of Minas Gerais; the maximum distances traveled to access referral services ranged from 93 to 327 km. CONCLUSION: the scarcity of care services for people subjected to sexual violence in the micro-regions and macro-regions of Minas Gerais highlights the need for planning public policies aimed at increasing access to these services.