Retrospective Study of Pattern and Medicolegal aspects of Sexual Offence Cases reported at a Government Tertiary Care Hospital in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Women and off late children are being more vulnerable group for sexual assault which causes severeand 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 agovernment medical college hospital in South India.Methodology: A retrospective record based study by analyzing the data of the past three years was conducted inthe department of forensic medicine and toxicology at Tanjore Medical College and Hospital (TN). A total of 185sexual 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 theregister were noted and analysed. All the data regarding accused which were entered in the register were alsonoted.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