Kane Daniel, Holmes Andrea, Kennedy Kieran, Flood Karen, Eogan Maeve
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Int J Legal Med. 2025 Mar;139(2):817-823. doi: 10.1007/s00414-024-03388-9. Epub 2024 Dec 14.
Sexual violence (SV) while travelling internationally is underreported and pre-travel advice is often focussed on broader tourist safety concerns. International travellers who experience sexual violence face particular challenges. The aim of this paper was to analyse the attendances of people who disclosed having been subjected to SV during international travel to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) network in the Republic of Ireland.
Analysis of all people who attended the national SATU network who disclosed an incident of SV experienced during international travel, and comparison of these cases with domestic case attendances.
During the 7-year period studied, there were 6,447 attendances to the national SATU network, with 443 incidents reported as occurring outside Ireland; in 66 separate countries. The mean age of international attendees was 26.61 years, with females representing 90.3% of cases. Where an incident occurred internationally, the patient was less likely to disclose drug ingestion in the 24 h preceding the incident (p < 0.001) and significantly less likely to be assaulted in the assailant's home (p = 0.009) when compared with domestic cases. Those who were assaulted internationally were significantly more likely to be assaulted by a stranger or recent acquaintance, i.e. ( p < 0.001).They were also more likely be assaulted in a location recorded as 'other indoors' (e.g. hotel, hostel etc) (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in alcohol consumption (p = 0.115) or frequency of assaults occurring outdoors (p = 0.155).
Our study has shown that 7% of attendances to the SATU network followed incidents of SV that occurred during international travel. The majority of these incidents were disclosed as being perpetrated by a stranger or recent acquaintance, in an indoor setting with over half having occurred in Europe. Individuals who experience SV while travelling abroad should be encouraged to seek immediate medical attention and appropriate follow-up care upon returning home.
国际旅行期间的性暴力（SV）报告不足，旅行前建议通常侧重于更广泛的游客安全问题。遭受性暴力的国际旅行者面临特殊挑战。本文旨在分析向爱尔兰共和国性侵犯治疗单位（SATU）网络披露在国际旅行期间遭受性暴力的人员的就诊情况。
对全国SATU网络中所有披露在国际旅行期间经历过性暴力事件的人员进行分析，并将这些案例与国内案例就诊情况进行比较。
在研究的7年期间，全国SATU网络有6447人次就诊，报告有443起事件发生在爱尔兰境外，涉及66个不同国家。国际就诊者的平均年龄为26.61岁，女性占病例的90.3%。与国内案例相比，国际事件发生时，患者在事件发生前24小时内不太可能披露药物摄入情况（p<0.001），在袭击者家中遭受袭击的可能性也显著降低（p=0.009）。在国际上遭受袭击的人更有可能被陌生人或新认识的人袭击，即（p<0.001）。他们也更有可能在记录为“其他室内”（如酒店、旅社等）的地点遭受袭击（p<0.001）。酒精消费（p=0.115）或户外袭击频率（p=0.155）没有显著差异。
我们的研究表明，SATU网络7%的就诊是由国际旅行期间发生的性暴力事件引起的。这些事件大多被披露为由陌生人或新认识的人实施，发生在室内环境中，超过一半发生在欧洲。应鼓励在国外旅行时遭受性暴力的个人回国后立即寻求医疗救治和适当的后续护理。
