In 2009, 78.6% of people aged 10 or over felt safe in their housing units, 67.1% in the neighborhood and 52.8% in the city...

 

In 2009, 78.6% of people aged 10 or over felt safe in their housing units, 67.1% in the neighborhood and 52.8% in the city.

Men reported feeling safer than women in all places. The feeling of safety in the housing unit was higher in the population with higher monthly per capita housing average income (82.8% for five or more minimum wages against 77.8% for less than ¼ of the minimum wage). This relation was inverted in the neighborhood (62.8% against 71.3%) and in the city (41.4% against 60.9%). The North Region recorded the lowest percentage of people reporting the feeling of safety (71.6% in their housing units, 59.8% in the neighborhood and 48.2% in the city).

 

Approximately 60% of the housing units had some sort of safety device. This percentage was higher for apartments (90.3%) than for houses (55.9%) and the same occurred in the urban area (64.9%) compared with the rural area (28.5%). Door grills and window guards were the most used devices (35.7% of the housing units), Central-West stood out (40.5%). Guards and grills were predominant in houses (35.6%), while door devices (door viewers, chains and/or intercoms) were in 73.9% of the apartments.

 

The crimes of theft and robbery reached 7.3% of the population aged 10 or over and 1.6% suffered assaults.

The victims of theft or robbery attempts changed from 1.6% in 1988 to 5.4% in 2009. Among people aged over 18, 9.4% were involved in conflicts, with the highest percentage in the labor (23.3%), family (22.0%) and criminal (12.6%) areas.

 

This and other information will be available in the supplement "Characteristics of the Victimization and of the Access to Justice in Brazil" of the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) 2009. It covered, in the area of victimization, the period between 09/27/2008 and 09/26/2009 and people aged 10 or over.

 

 

The analysis of the access to Justice, elaborated in partnership with the National Council of Justice (CNJ), investigated the characteristics of conflicts considered as the most serious by the involved parts, among people aged 18 or over, in the five years before data collection.

 

VICTIMIZATION: North records lower percentage of people who feel safe

 

The 2009 PNAD evaluated the feeling of safety with respect to the housing unit, the neighborhood and the city where there were 162.8 million residents aged 10 or over.

While 78.6% of this population (127.9 million people) felt safe in their housing units, in the neighborhood the percentage was 67.1% (109.2 million) and, in the city, it fell to 52.8% (85.9 million). North region registered the lowest percentages of people reporting the feeling of safety (in housing units, 71.6%, in neighborhoods, 59.8% and in cities, 48.2%), whereas South region displayed the highest proportions (81.9% in households, 72.6% in neighborhoods and 60.5% in cities).

 

 

JUSTICE: Among people aged 18 or over, the highest percentages of conflict were in the labor (23.3%) and family (22.0%) areas.

In the universe of analysis that considered the conflict situation regarded as the most serious by the interviewee, the areas with the major problems were:  labor (23.3%), family (22.0%) and criminal (12.6%).  Labor conflicts were more frequent in the Southeast (24.8%); family conflicts, in the North (29.9%); and criminal conflicts, in North (15.8%) and Central-West (15.7%).

Among people aged 18 to 24, the highest percentages of conflict were in the family (27.8%) and criminal (23.3%) areas. In the 50-or-over age range, conflicts in the labor area accounted for the highest percentage (21.2%), followed by conflicts involving INSS (National Institute for Social Security) or social security benefits (19.0%).

12.6 million people aged 18 or over were involved in conflict situations

Among people aged 18  or over, 12.6 million (9.4%) were involved in conflict situations in the five years previous to the date of the interview, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.  Among women in this age range, 8.7% were involved in some sort of conflict; the percentage for men was 10.1%. South region recorded the highest percentages, both for men and for women (12.7% and 10.3%, respectively).  The lowest percentages were in the North region (6.8% and 6.2%, in the same order).

Regarding age groups, the 40-to-49 age group accounted for the highest percentage of people involved in conflicts (11.3%).  The 18-to-24 age group accounted for the lowest percentage  (5.0%). That scenario was similar in all regions.

The higher the level of schooling, the higher the percentage of those who stated having been involved in conflicts in the last five years: from 6.3% among people without education to 14.4% for those with a higher education level or equivalent.   Central-West recorded the highest frequency of people without education involved in conflicts (8.2%), and North, the lowest frequency (4.3%).

Concerning the per capita housing unit monthly average income classes, the highest percentage of people involved in conflicts was in the range with five minimum wages or more (15.9%), against 8.3% among those with an income lower than ¼ of the minimum wage. The situation is repeated in all regions, with the above-five-minimum-wage class accounting for 18.4% in Northeast.

Lawsuits were the preferred solution for conflicts

Regarding solutions for conflicts, most people aged 18 or over who were involved in conflicts (12.6 million) turned to lawsuits (57.8%) and small claims courts (12.4%), which were a highlight in all the major regions of the country.  In South, lawsuits reached 63.2%; the small claims courts were  more used in North (15.8%). 

Among the 11.7 million people who looked for conflict solutions, 5.8 million (49.2%) had their causes solved and 5.9 million (50.8%) did not have a solution.  Procon had the biggest contribution in the solution of conflicts (69.4%).

 Conversely, lawsuits accounted for the highest percentage of non-solved conflicts (56.5%).  Among solved conflicts, the interval of one year between the beginning and the solution of the conflict was predominant in all areas of conflict.

Conflicts relative to water, light and telephone services accounted for the highest percentage of solution (59.3%); 84.9% of these cases were solved in up to one year.  Family conflicts recorded the second highest percentage of solution (57.0%); 71.2% up to one year.  INSS or social security benefits recorded the lowest percentage of solution (32.6%); 45.8% up to one year.

As for the effectiveness of the solution of the conflict, among the 3.2 million people who looked for lawsuits and had a solution, 2.4 million (75.1%) had their conflicts solved.  Among those who looked for the small claims courts and had a solution, the percentage was 75.9%; friend or relative, 84.3%; police, 66.8%; Procon, 88.5%; and unions or associations, 75.8%. Those who did not look for the justice for their conflicts (29.8%, or 3.8 million people) stated as their main reasons:  solution through mediation or reconciliation (27.6%) and the feeling that it would take too long (15.9%).

Victims of theft or robbery attempts changed from 1.6% in 1988 to 5.4% in 2009.
In 1988, IBGE investigated Victimization and access to Justice for the first time. In 21 years, the percentage of people aged 10 or over who reported having suffered theft or robbery attempts has changed from 1.6% to 5.4%, with a similar growth in all regions. In order to make comparisons, it was necessary to aggregate the North and the Central-West regions due to the creation of the state of Tocantins, excluding the rural area.

The North and Central-West urban aggregate recorded percentages of these reports above the national average (2.6% in 1988 and 7.6% in 2009).  Another highlight in the analyzed period was the increase in the participation of the black (from 3.9% to 7.6%) or brown (from 31.0% to 39.5%) population and of women (from 41,7% to 46,9%) among the victims of this kind of crime.

From 1988 to 2009 the percentage of people aged 10 or over that were victims of robbery or theft increased from 5.4% to 7.4%. That increase was observed in all regions, specially in the North and Central-West urban aggregate (from 6.6% to 10.3%) and in the Northeast region (4.3% to 7.5%).  The increase in the participation of the black (from 4.7% to 7.9%) and brown (from 30.7% to 42.4%) population and of women (from 39.3% to 45.4%) among the victims of this kind of crime was also observed.

21 years ago, 1.0% of the population aged 10 or over reported having suffered assault.  In 2009, 1.6% did so. The same way, there was also an increase in the participation of the black (from 7.4% to 11.0%) or brown (from 36.0% to 47.1%) population and of women (from 39.8% to 42.9%) among the victims of this kind of crime.

Proportion of people involved in conflict situations drops from 10.5% in 1988 to 9.4% in 2009

In 1988, 10.5% of the population aged 18 or over reported having been involved in some sort of conflict in the reference period of five years. In 2009, the proportion was of 9.4%. That drop was observed in the regions, except for the Northeast region, where the rate rose from 7.5% to 8.2%.

The percentage of men involved in conflicts was above the one of women in both analyzed periods.   However, a reduction was observed for men (from 12.6% to 10.1%) and an increase for women (from 8.5% to 8.8%).  The percentage of white people involved in some sort of conflict (11.5%) was above the one observed among black (9.7%) and brown (8.9%) people in 1988. In 2009, the percentage of people that considered themselves white and reported involvement in conflicts decreased (from 11.5% to 9.6%); the percentage of black people increased (from 9.7% to 11.1%) and the one of brown people remained stable (8.9%).

 

 

Residents from rural areas reported feeling safer when compared with residents from urban areas, in the cities where they live (rural 69.3%, urban 49.7%), in the neighborhood (rural 80.4%, urban 64.7%) and in housing units (rural 84.5%, urban 77.5%).

Men reported feeling safer than women in housing units (80.2% against 77.2%), in the neighborhood (69.4% against 65.0%) and in the city (55.2% against 50.5%). Concerning color or race, percentages were higher for white people (in housing units 79.7%, in the neighborhood 68.0% and in the city 53.3%) than for brown people (77.7%, 66.6% and 52.9%, respectively) and for black people (76.7%, 64.9% and 48.9%, respectively). As for age ranges, the feeling of safety was higher among people aged 10 to 15 years (81.4%, 70.4% and 57.9%, respectively). The higher the age, the lower the percentage of people reporting feeling safe in the housing unit: 81.4% among those aged 10 to 15 years and 76.9% among those aged 70 or over.

 

The feeling of safety was higher in the population with a higher per capita housing unit monthly average income (82.8% for housing units with five minimum wages or more, against 77.8% for those with an income lower than ¼ of the minimum wage). This relation was inverted for the feeling of safety in the neighborhood (62.8% against 71.3%) and in the city (41.4% against 60.9%).

 

Three out of five housing units used some sort of safety device in 2009

 

Among 58.6 million permanent private housing units in 2009, around 60% (34.8 million) used at least one of the following safety devices: grills and guards on windows/doors; door viewers, antique style peepholes, door lock chains or intercoms; more-than-2-meter-high electrified fences, walls or grills, with pieces of broken glass or barbed wire, and/or electronic alarm; extra locks and/or door/window bars against burglary; dogs; video cameras; private security and/or automatic gates, among others. The percentage was 63.9% in the Southeast, 64.9% in the Central-West, 59.6% in the South, 54.3% in the North and 51.8% in the Northeast.

 

Door grills and window guards were the most used devices (35.7% of the housing units), Central-West stood out (40.5%). Door devices (door viewers, antique style peepholes, door lock chains or intercoms) were in 20.4% of the housing units. In 9.4% of the Brazilian housing units there were dogs to enhance security.

 

Safety devices were present in 64.9% of the households in urban areas, against 28.5% in the rural area. For each surveyed device, the percentage was always higher in the urban area, except for dogs, present in 12.8% in the rural area and in 8.8% in the urban area.

 

From the universe of housing units (58.6 million), 89.2% were houses and 10.4% apartments. Among houses, 55.9% had some sort of safety device against 90.3% of the apartments. In houses, door grills or window guards were predominant (35.6%) and, in apartments, door devices: door viewer, door chain and/or intercom (73.9%).

 

In the analysis of housing units by per capita housing monthly average income, there were safety devices in 35.2% as to the less-than-1/4-minimum-wage income, against 82.6% as for two-or-more-minimum-wage income. The percentages for the presence of safety devices were higher as income ranges increased, except when considering dogs for safety.

 

 

11.9 million people aged 10 or over were victims of robbery or theft between September 27 of 2008 and September 26 of 2009

 

Among the 162.8 million people aged 10 or over, 11.9 million (7.3%) were victims of theft (the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property without threat or violence) or robbery (with threat and/or violence) between September 27 of 2008 and September 26 of 2009.

Victims of robbery or theft attempt totaled 8.7 million (5.4%). The total number of victims of theft (6.4 million people, or 3.9%) surpassed the number of robberies (6.0 million, or 3.7%). Approximately 441 thousand people were victims of both crimes.

 

North registered the highest percentages for victims of robbery or theft attempt (7.0%) and robbery (5.6%), and Central-West presented the highest proportion of thefts (5.5%). Southeast (6.7%) and South (6.8%) had the lowest percentages of victims of robbery or theft. In Southeast, the proportions of victims of robbery (3.4%) and theft (3.5%) were approximate; as to the South region, thefts were almost the double (4.6%) of robberies (2.5%).

 

The percentage of victims, living in urban areas (8.1% for robbery or theft), was higher than that observed among victims living in the rural area (3.0%). It is interesting to highlight that among men the percentage of victims (8.3%) was higher than among women (6.4%). Concerning color, percentages were similar to white (7.3%), black (7.9%) and brown (7.2%) people. As for age ranges, the group to register the highest percentage of victims was the one of people aged 16 to 24 years (8.9%). From that point the percentage decreased, falling to 5.2% for 70 years of age. For the people aged 10 to 15 years, the percentage of victims was 3.3%.

 

The analysis by per capita housing monthly average income shows that the percentage of victims is directly proportional to income. Around 11.6% of people in the five-minimum-wage-or-more income range were victims of robbery or theft, against 4.7% of the group with less than ¼ of the minimum wage.

 

The characteristics of the crimes varied according to the location. The public streets concentrated 70.5% of the robberies and 26.8% of the thefts; in the housing units (own or third-party’s) there were 12.2% of robberies and 47.6% of thefts. The most frequent target objects were cellular phones (54.2% of robberies, 27.4% of thefts) and money, debt/credit cards, or checks (54.0% of robberies, 28.4% of thefts).

 

Among the victims of robbery, the percentage that looked for the police (48.4%, or 2.9 million) was higher than among the victims of theft (37.7%, or 2.4 million). The percentages of police reports in both crimes were approximate (90.2% for robbery and 89.9% for theft), suggesting that most people who look for the police file a report. Among the reasons for 51.6% of the victims not to look for the police, as victims of robbery, the main ones were "not believing in the police" (36.4%) and "not considering important" (23.1%). In 2009, 62.3% of the victims of theft did not look for the police, the main reasons were "lack of proof" (26.7%) and "not considering important" (24.4%). Among the victims of robbery who looked for the police but did not file a report, 24.9% or 71 thousand people stated not believing in the police; for the victims of theft this percentage was 13.6%, or 33 thousand people.

 

2.5 million people aged 10 or over suffered assault, ¼ of them in their own housing units

 

In 2009, 1.6% of the total people aged 10 or over (2.5 million) were victims of assault, with the highest frequency in the North region (1.9%) and the lowest, 1.4%, in Southeast and South. The percentage among men (1.8%) was higher than among women (1.3%). The highest relative frequency occurred in the 16-to-24 age range (2.2%) and the lowest frequency among people aged 70 or over (0.4%).

 

The percentage of people who suffered assault increased as income decreased: 2.2% belonged to the less-than-1/4-minimum-wage class, almost twice as much as for the over-five-minimum-wage class (1.0%).

 

The aggressors were unknown in 39.0% of the cases, known in 36.2%, spouses or ex-spouses in 12.2%, relatives in 8.1% and police officers or private security guards in 4.5%. Public streets were the scenario for 48.0% of the assaults, against 25.4% in the housing units. The most frequent aggressors in public streets were unknown (69.5%) and police officers (65.5%); spouses and ex-spouses assaulted more frequently in their own housing units (80.5%).

 

Among assaulted women, 25.9% (around 280 thousand) were assaulted by spouses or ex-spouses against 2.0% of men in the same condition.

Men were more frequently assaulted by unknown (46.4%) than by known people (39.3%), the opposite situation occurred for women (29.1% against 32.2%).

 

The main reasons stated by the 1.4 million victims for not looking for the police were:

"not wanting to involve the police or being afraid of reprisals" (33.1%), "not finding important" (18.2%), "not believing in the police" (12.9%) and "lack of proofs" (6.9%).

 

Among the victims of assault who looked for the police (1.1 million people), 86.9% filed reports in the police station about the last suffered assault. Those victims who looked for the police but did not file a report (147 thousand people) stated as their main reasons: the police did not want to receive the report (22.4%), the victim did not want to involve the police or was afraid of reprisals (19.2%), lack of proofs (10,3%) and the victim did not believe in the police (10.2%).

 

Table 4 – Distribution of people aged 10 or over who suffered assault, in the reference period of 365 days, by last assault aggressor and by sex,

color or race and age range – Brazil - 2009