Smith Daisy, Cunningham Nicola, Willoughby Melissa, Young Carmel, Odell Morris, Ibrahim Joseph, Bugeja Lyndal
Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Southbank, Victoria 3006, Australia.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Clinical Forensic Medicine, Southbank, Victoria 3006, Australia.
Leg Med (Tokyo). 2019 Feb;36:89-95. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2018.11.006. Epub 2018 Nov 10.
Sexual assault is the least acknowledged, detected, and reported type of assault against nursing home residents. Nursing home staff are responsible for reporting suspected allegations to the police, who will contact a clinical forensic examiner to conduct a forensic medical examination. This study examined the epidemiology of sexual assaults of older women (aged 65 years and older) residing in nursing homes in Victoria, Australia, between 2000 and 2015, whose alleged incidents were referred to a clinical forensic examiner for a forensic medical examination. A retrospective analysis of alleged sexual assaults reported to the Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2015 was conducted. The study identified 28 forensic medical examinations performed for alleged sexual assault. The alleged victims frequently had cognitive impairments; injuries were infrequent; and alleged victims were cooperative. The forensic medical examiner responded within 72 h of reporting; and frequently noted limitations to physical examinations of the alleged victim. The actual number of sexual assaults during this period may be masked by under-reporting and, lack of identification by nursing home staff. There are many unresolved issues including: incidence, levels of reporting, nature of investigations, responses required to assist the victim, and the interventions needed to prevent sexual assault. Better data is vital. This data should be standardized, validated, reliable, and gathered prospectively across Australia and internationally.
性侵犯是针对养老院居民的各类侵犯行为中最不被承认、察觉和报告的一种。养老院工作人员有责任向警方报告可疑指控，警方会联系临床法医检查官进行法医医学检查。本研究调查了2000年至2015年间居住在澳大利亚维多利亚州养老院的65岁及以上老年女性性侵犯的流行病学情况，这些女性所涉事件被提交给临床法医检查官进行法医医学检查。对2000年1月1日至2015年12月31日期间向维多利亚法医研究所临床法医学部门报告的涉嫌性侵犯事件进行了回顾性分析。该研究确定了28例因涉嫌性侵犯而进行的法医医学检查。据称的受害者经常有认知障碍；受伤情况不常见；且据称的受害者配合检查。法医检查官在报告后72小时内做出回应；并经常指出对据称受害者进行身体检查存在局限性。在此期间性侵犯的实际数量可能因报告不足和养老院工作人员未识别而被掩盖。存在许多未解决的问题，包括：发病率、报告水平、调查性质、协助受害者所需的应对措施以及预防性侵犯所需的干预措施。更好的数据至关重要。这些数据应在澳大利亚和国际范围内进行标准化、验证、可靠且前瞻性地收集。
