Evaluation of forensic medical care to victims of underage sexual violence in the province of Alicante (Spain)

Introduction: sexual abuse of minors is a complex social problem that requires a multidisciplinary approach.

Material and methods: retrospective descriptive study of 256 victims of sexual violence under 18 years of age, treated by forensic medical staff of the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Alicante between 2016 to 2020. Grouped into two age intervals: 0 to 12 years (104 cases; 40.6%); and 13 to 17 years (152 cases; 59.4%).

Results: the majority of the victims were female (228 cases; 89.1%). They reported a single perpetrator (218 cases; 89%), known to the victim (185 cases; 74.6%). In the younger age group, the most frequent type of sexual violence was fondling (75 cases), while in the older age group, vaginal penetration (57 cases). In 51 cases (19.9% of the total), repeated episodes of sexual violence occurred, mainly within the family. The majority of victims did not present physical injuries (70.3% of the total). In the older age group occurred almost half of the physical injuries (60 cases; 39.5%), and all psychological injuries (3 cases; 1.5%). In 17 cases (6.7% of the total), there was suspicion of chemical submission, mainly in the older age group, 15 cases (10.1%). The three most frequently found substances were alcohol, followed by cannabis and benzodiazepines.

Conclusions: our data show the importance of the function of the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences as a source of information and providing elements that facilitate the detection and the development of prevention strategies in sexual violence.