Abstract
The assistance provided by specialised healthcare personnel to victims of a sexual violence cannot focus just on the clinical intervention appropriate for the lesions suffered by the patient, but must also take legal and forensic needs into account. Anamnestic data represents a crucial step towards the finding of forensic evidence. Our retrospective study aims to analyse the congruence between verbal reports from abused women and the laboratory data to the end of identifying ways for enhancing the gathering of anamnestic data. We considered 960 medical records related to sexual violence that reached the Rape Centre “Soccorso Violenza Sessuale” of Turin between 2003 and 2013. Having consulted the register of evidence, we selected the cases for which the local judicial authority had asked for expert advice on biological material. The selected cases have been gathered in two different categories depending on whether the victim could or could not recall the events. Then, we looked at the results of the cytological analysis performed to identify the presence of sperm cells, at the results of the body fluid identification, and at the results of the DNA quantitation. Our findings strongly suggest that forensic investigations should be carried out independently from the presence of memories of the traumatic events on the victim’s part. Moreover, they suggest that forensic investigations should also be pursued in the presence of a negative cytologic examination.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
The SVS is one of the two Italian institutes that are open 24 h, 7 days a week. It intervenes during emergencies and in the later stages of traumatic events caused by sexual assault or abuse during pregnancy. The institute takes care of women over the age of 14 with a multidisciplinary team, made up of gynaecologists, midwives, psychologists, social workers, and medical examiners.
References
WHO (2002) World report on violence and health. http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/en/
Fra-European Union Agency for Fundamental rights (2014) Violence against women: an EU-wide survey. Main results. http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra-2014-vaw-survey-main-results_en.pdf
WHO (2013) Responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women: WHO clinical and policy guidelines. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85240/1/9789241548595_eng.pdf
Dubini V (ed) (2007) Violenza contro le donne. Compiti e obblighi del ginecologo. Editeam s.a.s, Cento
S.V.S. Soccorso Violenza Sessuale Provincia di Milano (2006) Linee guida assistenza sanitaria, medico-legale, psico-sociale nelle situazioni di violenza alle donne e ai bambini. http://policlinico.mi.it/diCosaHaiBisogno/LineeGuidaSvS.pdf
Genetisti Forensi Italiani (Ge.F.I) Linee Guida per la repertazione di tracce biologiche per le analisi di genetica forense nel percorso assistenziale delle vittime di violenza sessuale e/o maltrattamento. http://www.gefi-isfg.org/temp/2202201374428.pdf
Tozzo P, Caenazzo L, Sagron M, Aprile A (2014) Riferita violenza sessuale e rinvenimento di liquido seminale sulla vittima: analisi medico legale su 123 casi. Riv Ital Med Leg 3:825–834
Linder J, Zahniser D (1997) The ThinPrep Pap test. A review of clinical studies. Acta Cytol 41(1):30–38
Pang BCM, Cheung BKK (2007) Identification of human semenogelin in membrane strip test as an alternative method for the detection of semen. Forensic Sci Int 169(1):27–31
Hochmeister MN, Budowle B, Rudin O, Gehrig C, Borer U, Thali M, Dirnhofer R (1999) Evaluation of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) membrane test assays for the forensic identification of seminal fluid. J Forensic Sci 44(5):1057–1060
Higuchi R, Fockler C, Dollinger G, Watson R (1993) Kinetic PCR analysis: real-time monitoring of DNA amplification reactions. Biotechnology (N Y) 11(9):1026–1030
ISTAT (2014) La violenza contro le donne dentro e fuori la famiglia. http://www.istat.it
Lacerenza D, Aneli S, Omedei M, Gino S, Pasino S, Berchialla P, Robino C (2016) A molecular exploration of human DNA/RNA co-extracted from the palmar surface of the hands and fingers. Forensic Sci Int Genet 22:44–53
Ratner PA (1993) The incidence of wife abuse and mental health status in abused wives in Edmonton, Alberta. Canadian Journal of Public Health 84:246–249
Davis JW, Parks SN, Kaups KL, Bennink LD, Bilello JF (2003) Victims of domestic violence on the trauma service: unrecognized and underrepoerted. J Trauma 54:352–355
Farchi S, Polo A, Asole S, Ruggieri MP, Di Lallo D (2013) Use of emergency department services by women victims of violence in Lazio region, Italy. BMC Womens Health 13:31
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
The authors declare that the present study comply with the current Italian laws.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Oral presentation at IALM Intersocietal Symposium P5 Medicine & Justice, Venice, June 21st–24th, 2016.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gino, S., Canavese, A., Pattarino, B. et al. 58 cases of sexual violence bearing forensic interest: congruence between the victim’s report and the data from laboratory analyses. Int J Legal Med 131, 1449–1453 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-017-1602-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-017-1602-x