Cases of violence against people with disabilities notified by Brazilian health services, 2011-2017

OBJECTIVETo describe cases of violence against people with disabilities notified by Brazilian health services between 2011 and 2017. METHODSThis was a descriptive study of secondary data on notifications of violence against people with disabilities recorded on the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System (Sinan). RESULTS116,219 cases of violence against people with disabilities were recorded in the period. Most of the victims were female (67%), White (50.7%), between 20 and 59 years old (61.6%) and mentally disabled (58.1%), with multiple disabilities occurring frequently (15.9%), especially mental and intellectual disabilities. Self-inflicted violence accounted for 44.5% of notifications. Physical violence was the most reported (51.6%), and in 36.5% of notifications the probable aggressor was a family member. CONCLUSIONThe description of cases of violence against people with disabilities notified by Brazilian health services can contribute to the formulation and improvement of public policies to address this important problem.