Evaluation of clinical and demographic characteristics of children victims of abuse with recurrent center visits

Introduction and Objectives: According to the World Health Organization, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and national legislation, every individual under the age of 18 is defined as a child. All forms of maltreatment directed toward children are considered abuse. Child abuse is examined under four main categories: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. According to the 2024 data of the World Health Organization, it has been revealed that 60% of children under the age of five are regularly exposed to physical punishment and/or psychological violence by their parents or caregivers, and that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men experienced sexual abuse during childhood. This study aims to retrospectively review and evaluate the records—while preserving confidentiality—of child victims with repeated admissions to the Trabzon Child Protection and Advocacy Center. Materials and Methods: This research is a cross-sectional descriptive study based on the retrospective review of records of child abuse victims who presented two or more times to the Trabzon Child Protection and Advocacy Center between 2014 and 2024. The necessary permissions for the study were obtained with the approval of the Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine Scientific Research Ethics Committee, dated 15 January 2025 and numbered 24237859-43. Results: In our study, 269 admissions of 115 children with repeated presentations were examined; 92,2% of the children were female and 7,8% were male. The mean age at the first admission was 13,28 ± 3,20 years. Regarding educational level, 39,1% of the children with repeated presentations were of high school age and 33,9% were of middle school age at their first visit. The average number of admissions to Child Protection and Advocacy Center was 2,36 ± 0,74, and in 11,3% of repeated abuse cases, the perpetrator was identified as the same individual. Conclusion: Child abuse is a complex issue requiring multidisciplinary, rapid, and coordinated interventions, necessitating the collaboration of many institutions and professionals. Therefore, early protective interventions and preventive practices are of great importance. Child Protection Centers adopt a multidisciplinary model in managing child abuse processes, ensuring effective service delivery. Careful assessment of the risk of repeated abuse at the child's first admission and the prompt implementation of necessary protective measures are essential to preventing recurrence. Keywords: Child Abuse, Recurrent Abuse, Forensic Medicine.