Although it is rarely talked about, sexual violence against boys exists and has grown rapidly in Brazil over the last decade. Data published by the Brazilian Ministry of Health in 2024 indicated that of 203,000 cases recorded from 2015 to 2021, 13.6% of the victims were boys aged between 0 and 19. Now, a study of a longer period by researchers from the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI) has revealed that sexual violence against this group has increased at a rate of 6.8% per year since 2013.
The team, led by nurse José Wicto Pereira Borges, identified the rise by analyzing cases recorded in the Ministry of Health’s Information System for Notifiable Illnesses and Injuries (SINAM) between 2013 and 2022—the most recent decade with complete data (see graph). In the resulting article, published in the journal Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde in October, nurse Beatriz Leão Lima and colleagues identified how many cases occurred each year and the municipalities in which they were reported. In addition to the age of the victims, they also looked at their relationship with the aggressors and where the violence took place (home, school, the street, and others). Based on population estimates from the 2022 Census and the human development index (HDI) from the 2010 Census, the researchers calculated violence rates across different age groups and regions of the country over the years studied.
There were a reported 39,967 incidents of sexual violence—defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as any sexual act or attempted sexual act against a person using physical coercion, threats, blackmail, or intimidation—against boys under 20 in the period. The majority of cases (41.3%) involved children aged between five and nine years old. The second most affected group, accounting for 25.7%, was children aged one to four, and the third (23.1%) was boys aged between 10 and 14 years old.
The data indicate that between 2013 and 2022, the total number of reports increased in all age groups, at an average rate of 6.8% per year. This increase was more pronounced at both age extremes, rising by an average of 10.4% per year among babies under one year old and 11.6% among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years old (see graph).
The Southeast region, the most populous in the country, accounted for the largest proportion of reports (44.2% of the total), followed by the South (23.4%). The Southeast also saw the largest annual increase, rising 9.5% per year in the period. In more recent years, there has been a significant increase in the North region, including the states of Amazonas, Pará, and Roraima, especially in municipalities with low HDIs. The researchers say that sexual exploitation and other forms of violence may be linked to the low level of socioeconomic development in these areas.
In the Southeast, the increase in reported cases, according to the team, could be partially a consequence of a more present and active surveillance system. “The surveillance and notification system has improved, which may have contributed to the increased number of reports,” says Lima, lead author of the article.
Just like with girls, sexual violence against boys most often occurs in a familiar environment—which in principle should be safe—and is most often committed by someone known to them. Two out of every three cases (62.4% to be exact) occurred in the victim’s own home. The other most common places, although much less frequent, were schools (5.8%) and in the street (5.5%). In 35.3% of cases, the aggressor was somebody known to the family, and 28.7% of the time it was a family member. Only one in every 10 cases was perpetrated by a stranger. “The fact that this type of violence occurs at home and is committed by family or friends makes it more likely for victims to remain silent, leading to underreporting,” explains UFPI psychologist Cássio Miranda, coauthor of the study.
Underreporting is a common phenomenon in sexual violence committed against both girls and boys. A few years ago, Stella Taquette, a pediatrician from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), showed that reports by female victims are lower than the real number of cases. In a study published in the journal Revista de Saúde Pública in 2021, she and her colleagues compared the number of pregnancies in girls aged 13 or younger between 2012 and 2018—sex with children aged under 14 is classified as rape by Brazilian law—with the total recorded number of cases of sexual abuse. During the six-year period, 136,300 girls aged 13 or under became pregnant, but only 45,600 cases of sexual abuse were reported in the 10 to 13 age group.
Among boys, the scale of underreporting is unknown, but it is known to be influenced by cultural factors. “Our society seeks to preserve an ideal of masculinity, even in childhood, that prevents males from reporting it when they suffer this type of violence,” says Miranda. According to the researcher, when it comes to boys and men, often only the most serious cases are reported, when medical attention is needed and the problem is identified by health professionals. “When it does not leave a physical mark, it often is not reported,” says the psychologist.
The UFPI team also points out that despite the topic being more discussed in recent years, there are still significant gaps in the care provided to male victims of sexual violence in the health system. The shortcomings range from a lack of places to listen to victims, such as private rooms, which already exist for women, to failures to fill out information on notification forms, such as data on repeated abuse.
“This information would really help us to understand the patterns of violence and, for example, to verify whether older teenagers tend to report it less,” says Borges from UFPI. There is a reason for this hypothesis. “The more the violence is perpetuated, the more natural it can start to seem for the victim, which could explain why they do not speak out,” he explains.
Denis Gonçalves Ferreira, a psychologist from the Center for Research on LGBT Rights and Health at the Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, says that studies are needed to better understand the needs of boys who suffered sexual violence, to enable the creation of better strategies to support them and prevent this form of aggression. Ferreira published a paper in Revista de Saúde Pública in 2023 that evaluated 53 articles on sexual violence against Brazilian boys and men. The general conclusion was that this form of abuse against boys begins earlier and lasts longer than it does against girls (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue nº 336). They also showed that it is associated with outcomes such as post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, drug abuse, social isolation, and psychosis. “Our society does not emotionally prepare boys and men to deal with situations of vulnerability, so it is very difficult for them to accept that they are in a situation of violence and report it,” says Ferreira.
Children who experience sexual violence often exhibit behavioral changes that can serve as a warning to parents and guardians. In younger children, the most common signs are crying for no apparent reason, frequent irritability, apathy and discomfort when hugged, speech development delays and difficulties, and sleep disorders. Older children may show symptoms of obsessive behavior, self-harm, suicidal ideation, or suicide attempts.
“The main way to prevent this type of violence is through information. It is essential that we educate children so that they understand what sexuality is and what rights they have, in addition to teaching them to recognize sexual violence, how grooming occurs, and that they should seek help from a trusted adult in the event of any suspicious or harmful situation,” says Andreza de Castro Leão, a pedagogue and speech therapist from São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Araraquara who analyzed ways to prevent sexual violence against children in her postdoctoral thesis. She emphasizes that tackling sexual violence requires cultural changes, especially regarding the social constructions of gender, both among children and among education and health professionals, who are often the first to identify and reach out to victims.
Leão notes, however, that schools, health professionals, and other protection networks are not exclusively responsible for protecting children from violence. Brazil’s Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) states that every citizen must report any suspected or confirmed case of violence against minors under 17 years of age. “The responsibility to protect them,” she says, “is borne by society as a whole, not the children themselves.”
The story above was published with the title “Hidden problem on the rise” in issue in issue 348 of february/2025.
Scientific articles
LIMA, B. C. L. et al. Temporal and spatial analysis of notifications of sexual violence against male children and adolescents in Brazil, 2013 to 2022: An ecological study. Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde. Oct. 14, 2024.
TAQUETTE, S. R. et al. A invisibilidade da magnitude do estupro de meninas no Brasil. Revista de Saúde Pública. Dec. 1, 2021.
FERREIRA, D. G. et al. Violência sexual contra homens no Brasil: Subnotificação, prevalência e fatores associados. Revista de Saúde Pública. 2023.
