Yiming Cai, Fung Daniel
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Mental Health and Woodbridge Hospital, Singapore.
Med Sci Law. 2003 Jul;43(3):260-6. doi: 10.1258/rsmmsl.43.3.260.
There is a paucity of studies on child sexual abuse in Asia. This study reviews the trends of child sexual abuse in Singapore and discusses the medico-legal considerations in the identification, assessment and management (including forensic implications) of such cases. It is a retrospective case review of 38 consecutive cases of child sexual abuse seen at a child guidance clinic in Singapore. Our study showed that most of the children were young (74% below age 9) and female (78.9%) with perpetrators who are males and usually known to the victims. There is a need to have integrated protocols to streamline assessment and reduce the need for repeated questioning. Adequate support of the victims in the form of specialised handling during the Court proceedings and in the use of new technology (such as video conferencing) for obtaining the child's testimony may be necessary. A child's fitness to testify is determined by the credibility and competence of the child. Repressed memories are of questionable validity.
亚洲关于儿童性虐待的研究匮乏。本研究回顾了新加坡儿童性虐待的趋势，并讨论了在此类案件的识别、评估和管理（包括法医方面的影响）中的法医学考量。这是对新加坡一家儿童指导诊所连续收治的38例儿童性虐待病例的回顾性研究。我们的研究表明，大多数儿童年龄较小（74%低于9岁）且为女性（78.9%），犯罪者为男性，且通常为受害者认识的人。需要有综合方案来简化评估并减少重复询问的必要性。在法庭程序中以专门处理的形式为受害者提供充分支持，以及使用新技术（如视频会议）获取儿童证词可能是必要的。儿童的作证能力由其可信度和能力决定。被压抑的记忆的有效性存疑。
