Medico-legal approach to sexual assault victims: The Belgian situation

Abstract

Clinical forensic medicine is a relatively new discipline in Belgium although (sexual) violence has been around for centuries. A brief overview of the Belgian legal system and the way it interacts with forensic medicine is presented, with special emphasis on the investigation of complainants of sexual violence.

The epidemiology of sexual violence in Belgium is discussed together with the procedures that were developed by the government to standardise the medical examination of sexual assault victims.