Criminal victimization in childhood and adolescence according to official records: the Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study

This article describes different types of officially recorded victimization in the 5,249 children in the 1993 birth cohort in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Official data were obtained from the Secretariat for Public Security and the Special Court for Children and Youth. Victimization occurred in 1,150 cohort members, with 1,396 incidents recorded as of December 31, 2012. Total incidence of victimization was 15.7 per 1,000 person-years, with the majority involving violent victimization (12.7 per 1,000 person-years). Victimization increased gradually in childhood and rapidly throughout adolescence. The highest incidence rates were in females (p < 0.05), the poor (p < 0.05), children of adolescent mothers (p < 0.001), and children of single mothers (p < 0.05). The most common violent victimization involved physical injuries, robbery, and crimes against personal freedom; nonviolent victimization mainly involved theft. Studies like this help identify lifetime risk and protective factors, highlighting the importance of surveillance and control measures against violence.