Sexual abuse against women aged 10 - 13 in Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Abuso sexual en mujeres de 10 a 13 años en el Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Objective: To describe characteristics of sexual abuse in women aged 10 to 13 in Valle del Cauca reported through the public health system. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional observational study, the target population was women between 10 and 13 years old victims of sexual abuse notified to the public health surveillance system of the department of Valle del Cauca. Through secondary analysis, sociodemographic characteristics of the victim, information of the aggressor and information related to the event were evaluated. Results: 7.991 cases of violence were reported, 1,753 were related to sexual abuse, 431 records were selected from women aged 10 to 13. 17.9% of the victims were Afro-descendants, 58.2% belonged to the subsidized regime, and 6.3% had no affiliation. 75.9% were students and 15.1% lived in rural areas. The average age of the perpetrators was 24.9 years, 94.1% were male and 94% were known persons. Conclusions: Sexual abuse mainly affects people with low social and economic conditions. The majority of perpetrators are underage persons usually with family ties. It is imperative to strengthen the comprehensive health care provided to victims and complementarity with the justice and protection sectors.