Physical violence against black and brown women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Objective To analyze the characteristics of physical violence against brown and black women during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in São Paulo, SP. Methods Cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted with data from compulsory reports of violence that occurred between March 2020 and February 2022. Cases of physical violence against brown and black women treated at health services in the city of São Paulo were included. The analysis was performed using the Pearson’s chi-square test with a significance level of 5% (α = 0.05). Results There were 13,329 cases of physical violence, 77.25% against women who self-identified as brown and 22.75% against women who self-identified as black. The distribution of variables was similar between the two. Most were aged between 20 and 34 years, single, cisgender, heterosexual and had high school education. The assaults occurred in their homes, more than once, committed by a male intimate partner, motivated by sexism and involving beatings. Referrals to public safety services (13.6% and 13.7%) and human rights services (5% and 25%) were low. Conclusion Young heterosexual women with lower levels of education were the main victims of intimate partner assaults. There was little intersectoral action, and referrals to health services prevailed. The intersectionality between sex and race should be considered when creating and implementing policies to prevent this condition in atypical conditions, such as a pandemic.