Yıldırım, Ali Gaziosmanpaşa University - School of Medicine - Deparments of Forensic Science, Turkey , Çetin, İlhan Gaziosmanpaşa University - School of Medicine - Deparments of Forensic Science and Public Health, Turkey , Din, Hasan The Council of Forensic Medicine Branch Manager - Deparment of Forensic Medicine, Turkey , Gümüş, Burak Gaziosmanpaşa University - School of Medicine - Deparments of Forensic Science, Turkey

Evaluation of cases with claims of sexual abuse referred to service of forensic medicine in a university hospital

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Aim. Every year, millions of children are either victims or witnesses of child exploitation worldwide. Although child mistreatment is usually seen as physical abuse, the concept of exploitation includes all kinds of mistreatment such as sexual abuse, psychologic abuse, and neglect. In this study, we aimed to reveal sociodemographic characteristics, details of medical history, physical examination findings, and general features of the offensive incident. Method. The forensic medicine reports related to 96 cases younger than 18 years of age who referred to our Department of Forensic Medicine between January 2008 and December 2009 with claims of being victims of sexual abuse were examined retrospectively. Results. Within 2 years, 96 cases (males 16.7% and females 83.3%) were referred to our outpatient clinics. Ages of the referrals ranged between 5 and 18 years of age and most of them were in the 15-18 age group. When the cases were evaluated as for their perpetrators, the offenders were seen to be intimates first and second-degree relatives (63.5%).On the examination of the cases referred to our clinics, any evidence of abuse was not found in 74% of the cases. The most frequently encountered physical finding (15%) was an old hymen rupture. For 49% of the cases any consultation was not required, and most of the consultations were demanded from psychiatry departments. Conclusion. Sexual abuse which is an important public health problem necessitates a multifaceted approach. Due to delay in referral to healthcare organizations because of numerous reasons, it is extremely difficult to detect evidence related to the act during physical examination, and thus a properly obtained medical history apparently conveys crucial importance.

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Child , sexual offenses , sexual abuse , forensic medicine

Cumhuriyet Medical Journal

69