Gitanjali, D (2011) A study on Victims of Sexual Offences. Masters thesis, Madras Medical College, Chennai.
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION : When one considers all the crimes on this planet, the sex related crimes are the most humiliating and barbaric. Worldwide this represents a major public health problem. There is an alarming rise in the rate of sexual offences worldwide and especially in India over the last few years. Sexual offences include an infinite variety of physical acts either carried out or attempted for sexual gratification by a person or persons of same gender or different genders without the lawful consent of those offended. Among all the sexual offences rape and child sexual abuse are of great concern globally. The women and the children are the most vulnerable group to this crime. Rape is said to be the fastest growing violent crime in many parts of the world. Though the punishment for rape is very severe including a death sentence in some countries, rape still remains a global problem. In USA an estimate of one in every four women and children4 and in Nigeria four out of every ten women are victims of sexual assault. Proving a case of rape in the court of law is a difficult exercise. Since rape is a criminal offence, proof of the crime beyond reasonable doubt is necessary. All these crimes are committed in private and hence there is no witness to the act. Therefore in many instances a sound medical examination, investigation and opinion is essential. Hence a doctor plays a pivotal role. AIMS OF THE STUDY : 1. To study the various attributes of the victims of sexual offences such as, Age, Sex, Religion, Marital status, Educational status, Employment status, Socioeconomic status and Family profile. 2. To study the factors like, Type of familiarity with the accused, Victim’s willingness to marry the assailant, Time of occurrence, reporting and examination of victims, Status of puberty, pregnancy and delivery, Type of offence and Pattern of injuries sustained and Results of the laboratory investigations. MATERIAL AND METHODS : DESIGN OF STUDY: Descriptive cross sectional study. STUDY CENTRE: Institute of Forensic Medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai-3. SAMPLE SIZE: 109 cases. SELECTION OF STUDY SUBJECTS: The study is conducted on the victims of sexual offences who reported for medico legal examination to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai -3. PERIOD OF STUDY: April 2009 – April 2010. DETAILS OF STUDY: Using a Structured Questionnaire the following details were collected; Demographic profile, Religion, Family details, Marital status, Educational background, Employment status, Socio economic status, History of crime, Number of assailants, Familiarity of the assailant, Time of occurrence, reporting and examination of victims, Types of offences, Administration of alcohol or drugs t0 victims, Menstrual & obstetric history, Willingness to marry the assailant. EXAMINATION: To look for the presence of genital injuries (fresh or old) including the rupture of hymen and extra genital injuries. LABORATORY TESTS: Smears from vagina and swab from cervix were taken for semen analysis. CONCLUSION : This study highlights the importance of addressing rape as a public health issue and focuses on the demographic profile of the victims in an urban area. • The women and the children are the most vulnerable group to this crime. • No age is safe from rape. It is comparatively easy for assailants to rape children, as they are innocent and cannot physically resist and defend themselves. • Majority of the victims were unmarried, educated up to high school level and from poor socio-economic background. • The assailants were mostly acquaintances and had a friendly relationship with the victims and had sexual contacts more than once. • None of the victims made a complaint to the police on the day of the incident. The delayed reporting is mainly due to social stigma, prejudice with regard to the chances of marriage, being considered promiscuous and responsible for incident, humiliation and shame, embarrassment caused by appearance and cross examination in court, publicity in press, risk of losing the love and respect of society, friends and that of her husband, if married. • As in the western countries, Rape crisis centres can be established to provide counseling to rape victims and the friends and relatives of the rape victims. • Absence of genital injuries in the victims examined could be due to various reasons. Majority of the victims were adults with prior sexual activity. • The absence of physical injuries may not contradict the allegation as absence of general body trauma could be explained by the vulnerability of the victims and by the fact that the assailant could have exercised authority over the victim, so that the victim offers minimum resistance. • Delayed reporting and the long post coital interval is the reason for negative laboratory results. • Proving a case of rape in the court of law is a difficult exercise. Since rape is a criminal offence, proof of the crime beyond reasonable doubt is necessary. • Therefore in many instances a sound medical examination, investigation and opinion is essential. Hence a doctor plays a pivotal role. • Medical examination can provide independent, scientific corroborative evidence that may be of value to the court in arriving at a judgment. Special knowledge and experience are essential to conduct a good quality medical examination. • Hence the medical officers are to be given effective training so that they are capable of tackling these cases when they come into the society.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Victims ; Sexual Offences. |
| Subjects: | MEDICAL > Forensic Medicine |
| Depositing User: | Subramani R |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Feb 2018 14:10 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Feb 2018 14:10 |
| URI: | http://repository-tnmgrmu.ac.in/id/eprint/5887 |
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