Objective:

To describe the social conditions of children and teenagers who were victims of sexual violence based on the perceptions of a multiprofessional health team.

Materials and methods:

Qualitative study conducted in 2019 with 30 members of the multidisciplinary team at a public hospital in Bahia, Brazil. The interviews were interpreted and analyzed according to Bardin and categorized using vulnerability markers, in the light of the Symbolic Interactionism approach.

Results:

The professionals treated children and teenagers aged 0 to 17 years with reports of experiencing sexual violence. Although victims were of both genders, most cases referred to female Afro-descendant infants. As for the socioeconomic profile of victims, from the perception of professionals, these were submerged in poverty and came from peripherical locations.

Conclusions:

Interactions between professionals and children and teenagers during treatment supported the perceptions about the victims and their social conditions. These perceptions are relevant since they allow guiding care actions such as the reception, treatment and monitoring of victims and their families.

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )