Evaluation of the cases referred to Inonu University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine for sexual assault in the years 2013-2022

Objective: In our study, we aimed to reveal the sociodemographic characteristics of sexual assault/abuse victims referred to the Department of Forensic Medicine for any reason, the evaluations made, the diagnoses of mental disorders that developed afterwards, and the profiles of the defendants; and to reveal data that can contribute to the measures that can be taken from medical, legal and social perspectives. Material and Method: In our study, all cases referred to the Department of Forensic Medicine, İnönü University, Faculty of Medicine, between 01.01.2013-31.12.2022 by judicial authorities or other departments for any reason to the Department of Forensic Medicine due to sexual assault/abuse were evaluated retrospectively. SPSS for Windows 22,0 package program was used for statistical analysis of the study. Results: Between 01.01.2013 and 31.12.2022, 176 cases admitted to the Department of Forensic Medicine for sexual assault/abuse were identified. 15.3% of the victims were male (n:27), 84.7% were female (n:149), 80.1% of the victims were under the age of 18, 47.7% of the sexual assaults were unqualified (simple) assaults, while 52.3% were subjected to qualified sexual assault. The mean age of male victims of sexual assault was 12.74±11.73 years, while that of female victims was 15.88±7.79 years. It was observed that 58.7% of the victims of qualified sexual assault had genital examination findings and 33.8% of the women who were subjected to qualified sexual assault became pregnant. While only 8% of those who became pregnant applied on the same day, 92% applied after 1 month. It was observed that 64% of the majority applied between 1-6 months. A significant difference was found between the groups. When the attacker identities were analyzed, it was determined that 27.8% of the attackers were relatives-acquaintances, 22.2% were strangers, and 18.2% were boyfriends. It was observed that 34.1% (n:60) of the victims received psychiatric diagnosis after sexual assault. When we analyzed the cases who became pregnant (n=25); it was observed that 13 (52%) terminated the pregnancy by curettage and 12 (48%) continued the pregnancy. Conclusion: It was observed that most of the victims developed mental disorders after abuse. The sociodemographic characteristics, abuse and abuser-related characteristics of our cases were generally consistent with the data of previous studies. The results of our study can be transferred to decision makers, especially law enforcement agencies, and a road map can be drawn with multidisciplinary studies in order to prevent the recurrence of similar cases. Keywords: Forensic Medicine, sexual assault, sexual abuse, medical termination, adolescent pregnancy