[Marital violence, a social and public health problem: a study in a police station in the state of Rio de Janeiro].

This article presents data of an investigation for drawing the profile of men and women involved in domestic violence taken from reports made at a police station in a small city in the state of Rio de Janeiro between 1997 and 2001. Data were crossed with the speeches of the couples at the police station. The article highlights the importance of this issue for public health, confirmed both in the feminist literature and in health studies. The results show that cultural determinants have an important influence on the construction of the roles of males and females, legitimating the power of the man over the woman and turning men violent when they cannot control the situation. More than half of the reports of women (53%) was due to corporal injuries, the rest were threats and attempted murder (39%), and psychological abuse (8%) through insults and defamation. The article presents information about the profile, professional status, color and race of aggressors and victims. It is concluded that, despite the feminist movement and other achievements, domestic violence continues reproducing and investments are necessary for understanding, reporting and overcoming the problem and changing behavior patterns.