Abusers transform social networks
in 'traps' for women

Caism, a leading center for the care of victims of sexual and domestic violence for 40 years, is registering an increase in cases, and the challenge is to expand its reach to the outskirts of the city.

Fake profiles attract attention, generate a false sense of trust, and ultimately create a trap that opens the way for all kinds of threats, aggression, and abuse. Social media is a free territory for sexual predators to attack women and girls. "Democratic," this violence doesn't choose age, place, or economic status, although Black and poor victims are the most common in the statistics. The impact is so devastating that some healthcare professionals say it's common for patients to present with trauma coupled with hypervigilance, anxiety, and bitterness. flashbacks – a condition that fits the description of post-traumatic stress disorder, similar to that experienced by war veterans.

This reality is increasingly common among patients treated at the Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti Women's Hospital (Caism-Unicamp), which has been a reference center for the care and support of victims of sexual violence for 40 years. There, patients—50% of whom are under 18 years old—receive follow-up care for six months after experiencing sexual violence. Even among other patients seeking care at the facility for various other reasons, up to 15% report some instance of violence.

“Social media is becoming a trap for women. We have seen a significant number of them who start having some contact with someone online, arrange a meeting, and realize it wasn't what they expected at all. A fake identity on the other side, the conversation evolves, and suddenly, she arrives and is raped,” says José Paulo de Siqueira Guida, professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) and coordinator of the Sexual Violence Clinic at CAISM.

The use of social media as bait for sexual violence is a phenomenon that still challenges healthcare professionals. “This is something we are putting on our radar. Twenty-five years ago, we didn't have apps. We are trying to gather data more consistently so that we can later help the authorities understand that this is a problem that is happening. It's a new challenge,” adds the doctor.

The consequences of many of these virtual contacts, which are increasingly turning into real nightmares, are being recorded at CAISM, and their frequency is growing. “We can even compare it to something on a catastrophic scale. Many arrive in a state of apathy, vulnerability, needing a place of care. Our constant attempt is to offer that space,” says Mariana Santos, a clinical psychologist and supervisor of training in the Gynecology area at CAISM.

 “We have cases that resemble post-traumatic stress disorder. Many develop this condition, which is more severe and carries a greater risk of social and emotional repercussions, leading to isolation from routine and contact with people. They face the loss of routine, are unable to study or work, and end up living in isolation,” reports the psychologist.

The professional, who is responsible for monitoring the emotional conditions of patients, highlights the negative role of social media in recent years. “We realize that these are environments of abuse. We've identified this here, including in some studies we've produced. The violence generated by contact on social media, from so-called 'virtual acquaintances,' appears in the data from our surveys,” confirms Santos.

Her colleague Laíse Potério, supervisor of the Psychology sector, with four decades of experience at CAISM and many moments of pain and joy lived there, confirms the new cases that have been arriving. “The search to meet someone on dating apps leads to violence and abuse. They happen in these arranged meetings. It's become a trap,” she points out.

Rescue 

Ândria Cléia Alves, section supervisor of the Social Service at CAISM, confirms that new forms of relationships have brought with them old situations of exploitation of women's bodies and minds. “Sexual violence, which we deal with most frequently here, involves a partner, relative, ex-boyfriend, or family acquaintance, but we also see these approaches through social media. These are people who create a fake profile, a bond of trust, and then commit the crime. It's a matter of opportunity,” she says.

Alves has been at the hospital for over two decades and, alongside a specialized team, works on the mission of rescuing minds destroyed by exposure to sexual violence. “The women who come to CAISM bring their entire life history, and physical and domestic violence are part of that. Many incidents are underreported because, often, the woman can't say what's happening due to emotional and financial dependence. There are threats against her and her children. So, we monitor these people's situations. We want to empower these women so that, in future interventions, they can escape this situation.”

Underreporting of people living in situations of violence is the biggest challenge in truly measuring the social problem that has taken on epidemic proportions in recent times. In 2025 alone, 1.568 femicides were recorded in Brazil, according to a survey by the Brazilian Forum on Public Security. A crime is considered femicide when the victim is killed simply because she is a woman. In 2015, when this criminal classification was adopted, Brazil recorded 535 deaths. A decade later, the number had increased by 316%.

Ândria Cléia Alves reinforces the issue of the diverse profiles of patients: there are women who recognize the violence suffered but are unable to leave the relationship at that moment; those who justify peaks of aggression from their partners as being caused by alcohol or drugs; and there are those who normalize the situation and do not realize that they are victims. There are those who suffer serious threats and are afraid to speak out and die. The ex-partner's non-acceptance of the end of the relationship, associated with violent behavior, are the biggest causes of femicide in Brazil.

“We must always respect their space. I can go back home and know how to reorganize myself, but some women don't have that; they face the fear of not being protected,” laments the supervisor of CAISM. “We live under a rape culture that seeks to justify what happens to women: the clothes they wear, the time they are on the street… There is a reversal of common sense. This is serious because you normalize violence and see it as something the woman caused. In reality, a woman can be anywhere at any time,” adds Alves.

As if that weren't enough, on some occasions, the victims arrive accompanied by their abusers. “When I see that the person is very misogynistic, I call a doctor or nurse to assist them. Then, the guy calms down. But this has happened very few times, because inside here they tend to maintain the role of the good guy,” says the supervisor. “If the woman decides that the companion cannot enter, there's no point in complaining, he will stay outside. You can be sure he will never call the police,” she comments.

According to Alves, it has always been difficult for women to occupy the role of women in society. They are placed in a position where protection is necessary because men are allowed everything. “I think there is a movement of hatred against women. It is related to what we have experienced in recent years. There has been a movement of demobilization, a lack of investment in public policies for women. All this work needed to be rebuilt,” says the professional from Caism.

Primer

In 2023, the hospital launched “Violence Against Women – A Guide for Healthcare Professionals in Prenatal and Postnatal Care,” authored by Odette del Risco Sánchez, then a doctoral student in the Postgraduate Program in Obstetrics and Gynecology at FCM, Ândria Cléia Alves, a social worker, and Fernanda Garanhani de Castro Surita, a professor at FCM. The objective of materialThe publication, which is distributed free of charge, aims to highlight issues relevant to healthcare professionals regarding violence against women, provide resources to deepen knowledge on the subject, and make available existing services in the region to offer the necessary referrals. 

Addressing this topic within the service allows women to identify healthcare institutions as welcoming and protective spaces.

In addition to this type of care guide, CAISM professionals also adopt the practice of having victims tell their stories only once, so that they do not relive the so-called "triggers" of suffering. Another initiative is to include a protocol of questions in all types of care, to identify less obvious situations. Some questions are: Is everything alright at home with your partner? Are you having problems in your family relationship? Do you think the problems at home are affecting your health?

Death

Beyond the difficulty of dealing with always complex stories, there is an even greater pain: defeat by death. “We have lost someone before. I won't go into details, but it was someone who had been experiencing a chronic process of domestic violence. The feeling is horrible, very difficult. It was someone who fought hard, had a whole network involved and received care, but even so, we couldn't save them,” laments the Social Service supervisor. “There are circumstances that are beyond the control of the services. At times, we feel powerless in the face of things that won't completely change… We know that some cases will work out and others won't, so we can't normalize or lose the strength to be indignant in the face of situations of violence,” observes Alves.

Enough!

Psychologist Laíse Potério embodies this mindset that supporting women goes beyond therapy sessions. “I’ve been here since the beginning, and every case affects us in some way, because we are women, mothers, daughters. This violence is always a watershed moment. A woman’s life will never be the same again,” she says. “Enough is enough! You can’t have a son or daughter and not discuss these issues with them nowadays, or expect the school to do it. There’s a lack of literacy about sex education. Our society is sick,” Potério laments.

She explains that some women need to recount what happened as a therapeutic outlet. Others, however, no longer have the emotional strength for it. These are teenagers and women carrying a deep-seated guilt, as if what happened was caused by them, through their behavior or choice of clothing. Seeking help and undergoing the necessary procedures and examinations is already a challenge. “When the victim arrives here, this reliving is overwhelming. The mechanisms of forgetting need to be stirred up, and this is extremely painful. Some say they won't tell their family because they fear judgment, shame, attacks on their reputation, and a distorted view of what happened. Others start taking many showers to wash away a dirt that is, in fact, in their soul,” says the psychologist. “They come desperate and, by experiencing empathetic listening, they change. In the end, they seek a long hug. It's the feeling of not being alone. Women are gaining access to information and trying to find other paths,” says Potério, with the experience of someone who knows that, as long as empathy exists, the battle will not be lost.

Femicide is epidemic in the country, says Minister for Women.

Retired social worker and university professor Márcia Lopes, Minister for Women, advocates for the regulation of social media as a way to combat digital violence affecting girls and women in Brazil. During a visit to Campinas, she expressed alarm at the escalation of femicide in the country.

“It is very important that all public policies look at this phenomenon in order to analyze, measure, and understand what has been happening. The Ministry of Health, for example, is taking a series of measures, and one of them is the request to the World Health Organization to include femicide as an item in the ICD (International Classification of Diseases),” stated the minister, agreeing that there is an epidemic of gender-based violence in the country.

“Violence doesn’t come from nowhere. We need to invest in education, in training, to break historical cycles of sexism and misogyny. If, in a few years, we have professionals from all areas with different training, this reality of the trivialization of violence will certainly change. That’s why we want more women in politics. We advocate for parity: 50% women in positions of power. This makes a difference. We know that the world comes from a patriarchal, sexist, and misogynistic root. That’s why our struggle is so great,” commented Lopes.

The minister cited the Brazil Pact against femicide, launched nationwide in February, which represents a commitment between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches to expedite the fight against violence against women. The goal is to reduce impunity and accelerate measures that strengthen protection networks. (Contributed by Daniela Prandi)

The Redpils and the 'Machosphere'

Today, we see a proliferation of misogynistic content, such as so-called "redpills," which not only reinforce violent stereotypes but also normalize hatred, dehumanization, and even the legitimization of violence against women.

At the same time, we have a scenario in which young people have shown themselves to be more conservative than previous generations, something that recent research has been pointing out. What we observe is that younger people are more in agreement with traditional views on gender, many of them based on inequality and violence against women.

The issue is that this conservatism, combined with the misogyny present in part of Generation Z, is strongly influenced by the digital environment. Through the content of the so-called "machosphere," young people find spaces that not only reinforce these views but also legitimize and encourage violent behavior against women. The recent case of gang rape in Copacabana, in which one of the suspects turned himself in to the police wearing a t-shirt with the slogan of an influencer called "redpill," demonstrates how this content spills over into real life.

What circulates on the internet directly impacts behaviors offline, influences attitudes, shapes relationships, and, in the case of "redpill" content, fuels all forms of violence against women: physical, sexual, psychological, and moral. This scenario is aggravated by characteristics inherent to the digital environment, such as the speed of dissemination, massive reach, and the feeling of anonymity, which reduces barriers to aggressive behavior.

In this context, it is crucial to strengthen training and protection policies for these young people. We are talking about individuals in their formative years, exposed to an environment that is still poorly regulated and insufficiently monitored. It is necessary to advance regulation, both to protect children and adolescents in the digital environment, through initiatives such as the digital ECA (Statute of the Child and Adolescent), and to... To ensure the removal of criminal content and hold accountable those who produce and disseminate it.

Beatriz Schroeder, researcher at the Brazilian Forum on Public Security.

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