[Female victims of sexual abuse: coercive methods and non-genital injuries].

This study aims to analyze the coercive methods used by sex offenders and the occurrence of non-genital injuries in female children, adolescent, and adult victims of sexual abuse reported to the Women's Police Precinct and examined at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil, from 1996 to 2000. Age distribution followed the criteria established by Brazil's Statute for Children and Adolescents (the prevailing legislation on issues pertaining to minors). Physical violence was the most frequently used form of coercion against adults (44.1%) and adolescents (25.0%), followed by serious threat in 36.5% and 17.0% of the cases, respectively. Presumed violence by innocentia consilii occurred in 94.1% of the children and 42.8% of the adolescents. Minor non-genital injuries were found in 7.8% of the cases, involving children (3.0%), adolescents (7.2%), and adults (14.4%), with no weapons involved in 75.0% of these cases. A decrease in the number of cases with injuries was observed in relation to knives (14.3%) and handguns (10.7%) used against adult and adolescent victims.