Journal de recherche médico-légale

Child Sexual Abuse in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt (2010-2014)

Abstract

Marwa A Mwaheb

Background and Objective: Child abuse is not an uncommon issue for pediatrics; rather, it is a major public health worry all over the world. An apparent form of maltreatment with children is child sexual abuse (CSA), which has negative consequences on both the short and long-term health consequences, apparent in both physical and mental disorders. This study is particularly important to determine the demographic and medico-legal aspects of sexual abuse of children in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt, which has clinical implications for pediatricians, psychiatrists working with children. Methods: This is a multi-faceted study that was conducted among children by the Forensic Medical Authority (FMA) in Fayoum Governorate. This study is a descriptive case-series analysis of child sexual-abuse cases documented over the last five years (2010-2014). Results: The total number of cases was 15 victims; 80% were males and 20% were females. Most assaults occurred in 2010 (20%), 2013 and 2014 (33%). The samples selected was at a mean age of 8 years and the range of ages varied from 5 months to 15 years; 12 (80%) were males and 3 (20%) were females. A total of 40% of the victims were related to the urban areas, and 60% of the victims were from rural areas. Physical signs were found in 26.7% of the victims in the form of abrasion and bruises in the face, forearm and leg, while such signs were absent in 73.3% of the selected sample. The perianal sign was found in 80% of the victims while it was absent in 20% of them. Conclusion: The study has shown that the rate of parental illiteracy of the selected sample was higher than it was for others (the general population), which seems to be one of the causes of the issue. The main victims are the children whose ages range from 6-12 years.