Medical and Legal Aspects of Child Sexual Abuse: A Population-Based Study in a Hungarian County
Date
2018
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Publisher
International journal of environmental research and public health
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.
Description
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, adolescents, gender differences, legal proceedings, child-friendly justice, prevention, International Resources, Hungary
Citation
Enyedy, A., Tsikouras, P., & Csorba, R. (2018). Medical and legal aspects of child sexual abuse: a population-based study in a Hungarian county. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(4), 701.