DNA Fingerprinting Unit, Biology Division, Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, New Delhi, India.
National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi, India.
Leg Med (Tokyo). 2022 Sep;58:102097. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2022.102097. Epub 2022 May 30.
Child sexual assault is highly prevalent in India yet a handful cases are reported under POCSO (Protection against child sexual offenses) Act, 2012. Even though the victims' testimony alone is enough to arrest accused as regulated by the Supreme Court but forensic evidence is still critical for sentencing rapists. A systematic evaluation of such cases will estimate impact of Child sexual assault (CSA) and pinpoint important aspects required for progression of prevention strategies and provision of support.
Present study reviewed cases pertaining pre-pubertal victims (up to 10 years age). Study included simple descriptive analysis of data highlighting significance of different variables in sexual assault cases involving child victims- perpetration, interventions, medical examination and forensic DNA analysis with the aim to improve primary preventive strategies and identify potential setbacks obstructing road to justice.
The strengths and weaknesses of pre-pubertal sexual assault assessment were identified. This study analyzed socio-economic backgrounds, age of alleged accused and whether known to the victim. Frequently reported type of abuse was assessed and total reviewed cases that yielded DNA profile from exhibits of victims and alleged accused were determined.
As emerged in present study, pre-pubertal CSA is a complicated phenomenon grounded in interplay between societal influences, family support, evidence collection, legal delays, and medical hindrances that greatly affect DNA analysis. Prevalence of CSA is evidently alarming and demands stringent measures to be taken to prevent and control it. Joint and multidisciplinary assessment is important for forensic reporting rather than solo assessment.
儿童性侵犯在印度非常普遍，但根据 2012 年《保护儿童免受性侵犯法案》（POCSO），只有少数案件得到报告。尽管最高法院规定，仅受害者的证词就足以逮捕被告，但法医证据对于判决强奸犯仍然至关重要。对这类案件进行系统评估将估计儿童性侵犯（CSA）的影响，并指出预防策略和提供支持所需的重要方面。
本研究审查了涉及青春期前受害者（10 岁以下）的案件。研究包括对数据的简单描述性分析，强调了涉及儿童受害者的性侵犯案件中不同变量的重要性-犯罪行为、干预措施、医疗检查和法医 DNA 分析，旨在改进初级预防策略并确定阻碍正义之路的潜在障碍。
确定了青春期前性侵犯评估的优势和劣势。本研究分析了社会经济背景、涉嫌被告的年龄以及是否为受害者所熟知。评估了经常报告的虐待类型，并确定了从受害者和涉嫌被告的证物中得出 DNA 图谱的总审查案件。
正如本研究所示，青春期前 CSA 是一种复杂的现象，源于社会影响、家庭支持、证据收集、法律拖延和医疗障碍之间的相互作用，这些因素极大地影响了 DNA 分析。CSA 的普遍存在显然令人震惊，需要采取严厉措施加以预防和控制。法医报告需要联合和多学科评估，而不是单独评估。
