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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Women and off late children are being more vulnerable group for sexual assault which causes severe and irreparable damage to the physical and more so to the mental health of the victims. As per the recent data,woman faces a rape attempt every two hours and a case of assault with intent to outrage the women's modesty isreported every six minutes.
Aim: To analyze the pattern, social aspects and medico legal implications of sexual offence cases reported to a government medical college hospital in South India.
METHODOLOGY: A retrospective record based study by analyzing the data of the past three years was conducted in the department of forensic medicine and toxicology at Tanjore Medical College and Hospital (TN). A total of 185 sexual assault victims data were analysed in our study. Data of the subjects related to their age, marital status,time of the assault, accompanying trauma and the report of the medical examination which were recorded in the register were noted and analysed. All the data regarding accused which were entered in the register were also noted.
Results: The minimum age of the rape victim was 6 years and the maximum age was 60 years with a mean ageof 17.5 years. The mean age of the accused was 27.7 years. Majority (89.7%) of the rape victims was known butnot relative for the accused. Majority of the victims educational status was higher secondary. Penovaginal wasthe most commonest type of sexual assault conducted on the victims and the commonest place of crime was theresidence of the accused. Injury to the hymen is the most common type of physical injury occurred among thevictims. The average time interval between the rape incidence and the first medical examination was 24 days.
Conclusion: Wide spread education and awareness regarding sex and moral values is the need of the hour whichis to be taught both at college and at school level. The government and the society have to work unitedly to endsexual abuse on females
Language: en |