Medical and Legal Aspects of Child Sexual Abuse: A Population-Based Study in a Hungarian County

Abstract

Background: Very few studies focus on childhood sexual abuse in middle European countries. Aim: The purpose of our study is to describe the medical and legal characteristics of children who experience sexual abuse and explore common features that may result in strategies for prevention. Methods: Between 2000 and 2015, 400 girls and 26 boys under the age of 18, suspected of being sexually abused, visited one of the four hospitals in a Hungarian county. Results: Mean age at onset was 10.81 years for boys, 13.46 years for girls. In 278 cases (65.3%), the perpetrator was known to the victim, and a stranger was suspected in 148 cases (34.7%). In 79 cases (30.7% of boys and 17.7% of girls), a family member was the accused perpetrator. In more than one-third (boys) and in one-fifth (girls) of cases, sexual abuse had occurred on multiple occasions. In the case of boys, child and adolescent sexual abuse (CSA) included oral genital, genital touching and genital to genital contact in 14 cases (53.8%) and anal intercourse in 12 (46.2%) cases. In case of girls, sexual abuse included coitus in 219 (54.8%), oral genital, genital touching, genital to genital contact in 164 (41.0%), anal abuse in 14 (3.5%) cases, physical injury was incurred in 15 cases. Legal proceedings followed the CSA in 205 (48.1%) cases. Conclusion: The results highlight the urgent need to address the issue of sexual abuse in Hungary and minimize its impact. Prevention requires a systematic and lifelong approach to educating children about personal space safety and privacy to reduce vulnerability and is the responsibility of parents and professionals.

Legal Outcomes of Suspected Maltreatment Cases Evaluated by a Child Abuse Pediatrician as Part of a Multidisciplinary Team Investigation

“…Current research into the use of multidisciplinary teams and child abuse pediatrician evaluations has primarily focused on child sexual abuse (12–16). For example, a study conducted in Hungary from 2000 to 2015 reported that 48% ( n = 205) of the 426 child sexual abuse cases reviewed had legal proceedings with only 9.6% of perpetrators ( n = 41) receiving judgments from the court (16). The closest comparable information to the current study took place in Germany which operates under a civil law system, and, as such, is not comparable to the common law system predominantly used in America (17).…”

Male-On-Male Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse in the Caribbean Region of Colombia: A Secondary Analysis of Medico-Legal Reports

“…Numerous studies provide strong evidence for considering child and adolescent sexual abuse (CSA) an important global health problem. These epidemiological studies have investigated CSA in Western high-income countries and in non-Western low-and middle-income countries [1][2][3][4]. Furthermore, a large body of literature has reported the short-term and long-term consequences of CSA on both the physical and mental health of the victims [5][6][7][8].…”

Sinais e sintomas de violência sexual infantojuvenil: relatos de profissionais de saúde

“…Levando em consideração a desproporcionalidade entre os órgãos genitais de adultos e a genitália/ânus de crianças/jovens, o ato sexual com penetração nesses órgãos pode ser danoso e provocar lacerações nas vítimas, como foi observado neste estudo. Corroborando, estudos internacionais apontam a predominância de casos com lesões genitais perceptíveis, que são resultantes do contato físico entre agressor sexual e vítima 11,19,20 . Da mesma forma, a literatura científica internacional mostra que a laceração anal é um dos danos acarretados às vítimas, sendo uma evidência de agressão sexual contra crianças em tenra idade 21,22 trauma agudo e/ou hematomas, ou mesmo o rompimento do hímen, e, entre as examinadas antes das 72 após a VS, a prevalência dessas lesões foi de 21,4%, de modo que, quanto mais rápido a vítima for avaliada, maior precisão no diagnóstico 18 .…”