Violence Against Women Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study of Reports From the Forensic Medical Institute of Curitiba/PR, Brazil

Abstract Objective To analyze the epidemiological profile of women who suffered bodily violence before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, from reports of corpus delicti performed at the Forensic Medical Institute - Instituto Médico Legal (IML), Curitiba/PR, Brazil. Materials and Methods This study has a retrospective cross-sectional design, through secondary data analysis, of cases of injuries caused by bodily violence against women between 2019 and 2021 contained in IML reports. Only records of bodily injury examinations performed on women were eligible for the study. Reports that did not allow the identification of the victim's gender, as well as those referring to other bodily injuries that did not involve aggression, were excluded. The data were collected through an electronic form. The variables analyzed were age, ethnicity, marital status, gender, and relationship to the aggressor. To verify the association between the outcome (year when the report was issued) and independent variables, a bivariate analysis was performed using the Chi-square test. To verify the differences between proportions of significant variables, the z-test was used with values adjusted by the Bonferroni method. Variables with p values ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25.0 software. Results 5033 reports of bodily injury against women were included in the study. In 2020, a greater proportion of personal injury examinations were observed in white women compared to 2019 and 2021 (p < 0.001). Single women were the most vulnerable to physical violence in 2020 and 2021 (p < 0.001). During those same years, assault by men, partners or former partners and by family members was more prevalent than in 2019 (p < 0.001). The Women's Police Station was the most sought-after place to report cases. Conclusion During the pandemic, single women, assaulted by men, who were a partner, ex-partner or family member, sought IML services more, when compared to the period before the pandemic.