Abstract This study identified characteristics in the notifications related to sexual violence (SV) against girls and boys registered in the Violence and Accidents Monitoring System (VIVA; SINAN/NET) of the city of João Pessoa, between 2017 and 2020. This was a documental, descriptive and cross-sectional study. A total of 255 notifications were analyzed. The data showed that the majority of the notified cases were related to pre-adolescents, of mixed race and female. Most of the notifications reported only one incident. The overall case shows that the abuse took place in the home, with a male abuser, being the victim’s boyfriend. The time that elapsed between the incident and disclosing was longer in the cases of adolescents [t(253)=-2,75, p=.001]; and rapes were more observed against girls (χ2=12.305/df=4, p=.015). There was a tendency for repetition when the rape occurred in the home χ2(30)=178.74, (p<.001). The cases were referred to various protection agencies, however, there was no close collaboration and coordination between the notifying organizations.
Tamíris da Costa Brasileiro, Patrícia Nunes da Fonsêca
Sexual violence against children and adolescents is a problem whose scars can last a lifetime. In this sense, the general objective of the research is to analyze the attributions of public policies in the educational system for the prevention of sexual violence against children and adolescents based on the existing guidelines in the BNCC regarding sexuality in schools. With this overall purpose, specific objectives were developed in the subdivisions of the research work: to verify the right to education for children and adolescents in Brazil; to contextualize how the BNCC addresses the theme of sexuality in schools and to demonstrate the role of the educational system in promoting rights to confront sexual violence against children and adolescents. The research question guiding the study is: given the existing guidelines in the BNCC (National Common Curricular Base) regarding sexuality in schools, what are the attributions of public policies in the educational system for the prevention of sexual violence against children and adolescents? The deductive approach is used as the method of analysis, with the monographic procedure as the method of investigation, while the bibliographic technique is employed for research. It is evident that the educational system, through schools, acts as an important instrument for public policies to confront various violations of rights occurring during childhood.
Corporal punishment remains the most common form of violence against children in Canada. Along with being legally permitted, it is made socially acceptable through cultural and social norms often disguised as discipline. Paraphrases of Judeo-Christian sacred texts such as "spare the rod; spoil the child" have been widely used to justify corporal punishment, and to create norms around the idea that it is a god-given responsibility of parents to inflict corporal punishment on their children "for their own good." Corporal punishment is then not only an acceptable part of raising children but can be a godly duty. Though Canada is a secular country, this social norm provides a moral hegemony under which violence becomes the status quo and has proven very difficult to change. In this commentary, we outline the ways that Christian religion has contributed to social norms around corporal punishment. We then argue that religious leaders have an opportunity-and moral responsibility-to contribute to change. We conclude with insights from social norms theory and offer evidence-based recommendations for ways forward that could help shift attitudes around corporal punishment in order to decrease its prevalence and harm. While each of these issues has been written about extensively in isolation, this commentary offers an analysis of these matters together under one umbrella. By making this relationship between Christianity and the social norms that propagate corporal punishment more visible, we draw attention to the role leaders in Christian churches could play in disrupting the social acceptance of violence against our youngest Canadian citizens. We provide a practical and evidence-based framework, rationale, and appeal to Canadian faith leaders to use their influence to add momentum to a critical health, rights-and religion-issue in Canada.
We wish to commend Bradley and coauthors for their timely and insightful commentary on the critical issue of intimate partner violence in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and practical ways for health care providers to identify and support victims.[1][1] In this discussion of
This article applies the framework developed by the Global Health Advocacy and Policy Project (GHAPP) to analyze the emergence and effectiveness of global health networks to two networks. One of them is Girls Not Brides, a global network of stakeholders working to end child, early, and forced marriage. The other is the network that is working to improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in schools and that includes the MHM in Ten network. By providing a theoretically informed account of these two networks, the article contributes to the literature by providing accounts of additional networks that can help us deepen our understanding of the factors that shape transnational network emergence and political outcomes. The two networks in this study complement the case studies completed by the GHAPP because they focus on a complex and politically and culturally sensitive set of issues. Furthermore, this article bridges the gap between the scholarly literature and the literature produced by NGOs and international organizations by providing a theoretically informed account of the effort to end child marriage and improve (MHM) in schools.
BACKGROUND: The current prevalence and factors associated with non-vaccination in children born between 2017 and 2018, considering vaccination status up to 24 months of age in the State of Ceará, should be assessed to justify the need to identify the population eligible for timely vaccination with valid doses to ensure optimal protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and analyze the sociodemographic factors associated with non-vaccination among children born between 2017 and 2018 residing in Fortaleza and Sobral, Ceará State, Northeast Brazil. METHODS: A population-based household survey of the 2017-2018 birth cohort was conducted using cluster sampling in Fortaleza and Sobral. The prevalence of non-vaccination, including no-dose and incomplete-dose categories, was estimated using prevalence ratios from Poisson regression with robust variance and survey design adjustment. RESULTS: Of the children, 54.55% were not fully vaccinated, and 9.91% did not receive a single valid dose of any vaccine (Fortaleza: 10.46%; Sobral: 2.71%). Missing doses were mainly for meningitis (29.14%), rotavirus diarrhea (25.46%), and pneumonia and meningitis (24.44%). Non-vaccination was associated with maternal ethnicity, specifically White (Caucasian) (aPR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.08-3.94; p = 0.028), and with the use of private vaccination services (aPR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.46-2.04; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Non-vaccination was highly prevalent among children born between 2017 and 2018 in Ceará. The findings highlight the need to strengthen and reorient vaccination efforts across sectors and to implement catch-up strategies for children who missed valid doses.
Adjoane Maurício Silva Maciel, Carla Magda Allan Santos Domingues, Anderson Fuentes Ferreira et al.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze vaccination coverage up to 24 months of age according to race/ skin color in the 2017-2018 live birth cohort in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. METHODS: Population-based survey conducted in 2020 and 2021. Vaccination coverage up to 24 months of age was estimated according to administered, valid and timely doses. Crude association of race/skin color was estimated by calculating the crude Prevalence Ratio and respective 95% Confidence Intervals, using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Of the 688 children in the selected cohort, there was greater coverage among Black children for administered doses (White 30.5%; Black 47.8%; 95%CI) and valid doses (White 25.8%; Black 40.1%; 95%CI), although without statistical significance, and lower coverage for timely doses, in the full schedule excluding yellow fever (PR = 0.21; 95%CI 0.04;0.90). CONCLUSION: There was lower timely coverage among Black children compared to White children. MAIN RESULTS: It was found that racial inequalities and social disparities were reflected in vaccination coverage of Black children in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, showing lower prevalence of timely and full vaccination schedules among those children. IMPLICATIONS FOR SERVICES: The results demonstrate the need to strengthen equitable public policies and the implementation of practices that seek to improve vaccination coverage, thus reducing racial inequalities in child immunization. PERSPECTIVES: Health service managers will be able to plan actions and strategies in childhood immunization services, in order to increase vaccination coverage and reduce vaccination hesitancy among Black people and people from lower socioeconomic strata.
Eliene Roberta Alves dos Santos, Isabelle Ribeiro Barbosa, José Cássio de Moraes et al.
CONTEXT: Children in care of the child welfare system tend to underutilize preventive health services compared with other children. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess current knowledge regarding immunization coverage levels for children in the child welfare system and to determine barriers and supports to them utilizing immunization services. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Articles published in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, SocINDEX, and ERIC from January 1, 2000 to October 13, 2017 were searched. Thesis and conference databases and relevant websites were also examined. Studies were included if written in English, from high-income countries, and addressed immunizations for children in the child welfare system. Independent dual screening, extraction, and quality appraisal were conducted between October 2016 and December 2017, followed by narrative synthesis. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Of 2,906 records identified, 33 met inclusion criteria: 21 studied coverage, two studied barriers/supports, and ten studied both. Nineteen studies were moderate or high quality and thus included in the narrative synthesis; 15 studied coverage, one studied barriers/supports, and three studied both. Most studies found lower coverage among children in child welfare. The few studies that explicitly studied barriers/supports to immunization identified that a collaborative and coordinated approach between health and social services was key to service delivery to this population. CONCLUSIONS: This review highlights that children in care of the child welfare system are at risk of poor immunization coverage. There is a need for high-quality studies on this issue, with a focus on assessing supports/barriers to immunization in this population.
Jennifer S. Hermann, Robin M. Featherstone, Margaret L. Russell et al.
This study analyzes the impact of the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic on the coverage of the regular vaccination schedule in children under two years of age in the canton of Ibarra, Ecuador, between 2018 and 2021.The research design is quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional, with data obtained from administrative records and surveys directed at vaccination program managers.The findings reveal a substantial decline in vaccination coverage during the pandemic, with statistically significant differences observed between the periods 2018-2020, 2019-2020, 2018-2021, 2019-2021, and 2020-2021 (p < 0.001). The coverage among children under one year of age decreased from 176.1% in 2018 to 134.9% in 2021, while among girls, it dropped from 160.5% to 121.1%, indicating a downward trend also among those over one year of age. A statistically significant disparity was observed between urban and rural areas, with a decline more pronounced in urban regions during the 2020-2021 period (p = 0.048). Furthermore, three socioeconomic quintiles (1, 2, and 4) exhibited coverage rates below 50% during the specified period. The primary barriers identified included reassignment of health personnel to the care of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome (88.8%), mobility restrictions (77%), and vaccine shortages (66.6%).Consequently, the pandemic exerted a detrimental influence on childhood vaccination coverage, thereby heightening the risk of immunopreventable diseases and underscoring the imperative for the formulation of strategies to ensure the sustainability of immunization programs in emergency contexts.
OBJECTIVE: To estimate prevalence of the full vaccination schedule for children 12 to 24 months old and to analyze associated factors. METHODS: Survey with cluster sampling carried out in Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil, between December 16, 2020, and January 4, 2021. Children born in Vitória in 2017 and 2018 were included. We estimated the prevalence of vaccination schedules. Poisson regression was used to verify association with full vaccination coverage. RESULTS: We included 788 children. Full vaccination coverage was found to be 57% taking a 95% confidence interval (95%CI 50.98;62.98). Prevalence of full vaccination coverage was lowest when private services were used for immunization (prevalence ratio [PR] 0.67; 95%CI 0.51;0.86) and when mothers had ≥ 4 children (PR 0.55; 95%CI 0.32;0.94). CONCLUSION: We found low vaccination coverage and a drop in booster doses. Use of private services for immunization and number of children were associated with incomplete vaccination coverage.
João Paulo Cola, Laylla Ribeiro Macedo, Mariana Pereira da Silva Araújo et al.
