Occurrence and circumstances of child sexual assault in Maputo, Mozambique

IF 1.2 4区 医学 Q3 MEDICINE, LEGAL
Stela Ocuane Matsinhe , Shahnaaz Suffla , Tiffany Joy Hector
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Abstract

Background

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a significant public health issue, with its health and social consequences well documented. While CSA has been extensively studied in high-income countries, its incidence and circumstances of occurrence in low-income countries, especially in Africa, remains under-represented in the scholarly literature.

Methods

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and circumstances of CSA among victims assisted at the Forensic Service of the Hospital Central de Maputo in Mozambique. A cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted using secondary data from 2015 to 2020, extracted from the medico-legal reports of all victims under 18 years old. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28.0.

Results

2610 cases of CSA were reported for the period 2015 to 2020, of which 2588 were included for analysis. Of the cases analysed, the majority of victims were girls (93.7 %), predominantly aged 12–17 years (48.6 %). The reported types of penetration revealed that vaginal penetration was the most frequent (86 %), followed by anal (11 %) and oral (2 %). Most assaults occurred either at the victims' or perpetrators’ homes (54.8 %), primarily during the week (71.1 %), and typically in the afternoon (36.5 %) or evening (41.9 %). The assaults were predominantly perpetrated by a single individual (88.7 %), who was most often identified as an acquaintance (72.9 %). Additionally, 54.1 % of the children experienced concomitant physical violence, and approximately 74.9 % of the perpetrators did not use condoms during the assault.

Conclusions

The findings of this study underscore the urgent need to implement prevention measures specifically targeting adolescent girls and younger boys, aiming to promote early reporting and prevent mental, physical, and sexual and reproductive health complications. Raising awareness about all forms of child abuse, including sexual abuse, and enhancing reporting and diagnostic systems in Mozambique is crucial.
莫桑比克马普托儿童性侵犯的发生率和情况
背景儿童性虐待(CSA)是一个重大的公共卫生问题,其对健康和社会造成的后果有据可查。虽然 CSA 在高收入国家得到了广泛研究,但其在低收入国家(尤其是非洲国家)的发生率和发生情况在学术文献中仍未得到充分反映。本研究采用 2015 年至 2020 年的二手数据,从所有 18 岁以下受害者的医疗法律报告中提取数据,进行了一项横断面定量研究。研究使用社会科学统计软件包(SPSS)28.0 版对数据进行了分析。结果 2015 年至 2020 年期间共报告了 2610 例 CSA,其中 2588 例被纳入分析范围。在分析的案例中,大多数受害者是女孩(93.7%),年龄主要集中在 12-17 岁(48.6%)。报告的插入类型显示,阴道插入最为常见(86%),其次是肛门插入(11%)和口交(2%)。大多数侵犯行为发生在受害者或施暴者家中(54.8%),主要发生在一周内(71.1%),一般在下午(36.5%)或晚上(41.9%)。施暴者主要是一个人(88.7%),最常见的是熟人(72.9%)。此外,54.1% 的儿童还伴随着身体暴力,约 74.9% 的施暴者在施暴过程中没有使用安全套。结论:本研究的结果突出表明,迫切需要实施专门针对少女和少男的预防措施,以促进及早报告并预防精神、身体、性健康和生殖健康并发症。在莫桑比克,提高对包括性虐待在内的各种形式的虐待儿童行为的认识以及加强报告和诊断系统至关重要。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
2.70
自引率
6.70%
发文量
106
审稿时长
57 days
期刊介绍: The Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine publishes topical articles on aspects of forensic and legal medicine. Specifically the Journal supports research that explores the medical principles of care and forensic assessment of individuals, whether adult or child, in contact with the judicial system. It is a fully peer-review hybrid journal with a broad international perspective. The Journal accepts submissions of original research, review articles, and pertinent case studies, editorials, and commentaries in relevant areas of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Context of Practice, and Education and Training. The Journal adheres to strict publication ethical guidelines, and actively supports a culture of inclusive and representative publication.
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