ANALYSIS OF SEXUAL CRIMES COMMITTED IN THE STATE OF CEARÁ BETWEEN JANUARY 2020 AND JULY 2022

INTRODUCTION: in Ceará, children and adolescents represent the main victims of sexual crimes. Due to this, the objective of this work is to analyze this violence and ensure wide dissemination of data related to public security in the state of Ceará. MATERIAL AND METHOD: this is a descriptive and quantitative epidemiological study carried out using secondary data published by the Secretary of Public Security and Social Defense of Ceará (SSPDS/CE) through the Statistics and Geoprocessing Management (GEESP/SUPESP) on crime and sexual violence in Ceará from January 2020 to July 2022. RESULTS: 4,692 cases were reported during the study period, with an average monthly crime rate of 154.91 crimes per month in 2020, 162.16 crimes per month in 2021, and 147.83 crimes per month in 2022. DISCUSSION: the results presented in this study, although the year 2022 is not finalized, show higher rates of sexual crime when compared to the months from March to June of previous years. The increase in these crimes could be related to the return of post-pandemic activities, the political period, and other events. CONCLUSION: from March to June 2022, an increase in sexual crimes was observed, and, in view of this, there is a need for public bodies responsible for security to seek means that can prevent these events.