ANALYSIS OF MEDICOLEGAL CASES OF SEXUAL ASSAULT PRESENTED IN MEDICOLEGAL CLINIC IN MAYO HOSPITAL LAHORE FROM JANUARY 2016 TO DECEMBER 2018 – A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Objective: To observe the predominant age and gender involved in victims of sexual assault and to know the dimensions of this important public health concern by determining the frequent factors in women and children subjected to sexual assault. Methods: A cross tabulation analysis is conducted at King Edward Medical University after the approval from the ethical review committee. It is a retrospective study conducted from the Medicolegal cases of sexual assault presented at Medicolegal clinic in Emergency & Accident Department of Mayo Hospital, Lahore during the period of January 2016 to December 2018. The total the sample size is 99 using non probability purposive sampling technique. Results: In this study, the mean age (years) of the victim was 17.25 ± 8.43 with most of the victims lying in the age group of 11-15 years (38.38%) followed by the victims lying in the age group of 16-20 years (21.21%) out of which about 63% victims were female and 37% victims were male. About half of the cases (49.50%) were presented after 72 hours of the assault and only 31.31% cases were reported within the first 24 hours of the assault. In most of the cases (81.81%), the assailant was un-related or unknown and single (74.75%).The victim’s clothes were mostly changed (77.78%) and there were mostly no signs of external injury on the body of the victim (70.71%). In 43.43% cases vaginal, 15.15% cases anal, and 3.03% cases both anal and vaginal injuries were present. But in 38.38% cases, no anal or vaginal injury was present. Conclusion: Sexual assault is prevalent in younger females. Only one third of the cases are presented in the first 24 hours of the assault. The assailant is usually single and unknown to the victim. There are usually no signs of external injury on the body and the victim usually reports after a change of clothes. In most of the cases there is an injury in the genital region.