title: [Characteristics of the notification of violence against children in the municipality of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil].
abstract: to describe the cases of violence against children reported in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil.
  
  
  
  this was a descriptive study using data provided by the Violence and Accidents Surveillance System (VIVA), of the Municipal Health Department of Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil, from 2006 to 2008.
  
  
  
  a total of 498 cases of violence against children (0-9 years old) were reported in the period, with an increase in the number of notifications, from 112 in 2006 to 197 in 2008; 79.3% of the notifications came from the Health area; and most children were female (56.4%), aged between two and five years old (over 60%); most aggressors were male (53.6%) and the father figure stood out (22.7%); physical aggressions were the most frequent (59.2%) and the most frequent place of the occurrence was the family household (75.5%).
  
  
  
  most victims were female, abused by men, mostly fathers and other family members, at the family household.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Marilurdes Silva
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Farias
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Cesário da Silva
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: ProEstat - Consultoria Estatística, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Estela Cristina
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Carneseca
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Medicina Social, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Afonso Dinis Costa
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento de Medicina Social, Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brasil.
authors.forename: Elisabeth Meloni
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Vieira
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005220:Fathers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D019221:Mandatory Reporting; D009035:Mothers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution