Sexual Assault: A Descriptive Study of Victims Attending a Public Hospital in Ipoh

ABSTRACT

@#Introduction: Sexual assault continues to be a significant issue globally. It has a profound effect on the physical and emotional wellbeing of the victims. Methods: This is a retrospective study based on data collected from the ‘‘OneStop Crisis Centre’’ at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun for the duration of 4 years from January 2011 to December 2014 aiming to highlight the pattern and prevalence of sexual assault in the city of Ipoh, Malaysia. Results: Ninety-six cases were reported with the age of the victims ranging from 4 to 63 years old. All the victims were female except for one. Forty-six of the victims were in the young adults category (19-30 years old) and six were above 30 years old. The mean (SD) age of the victims was 19.8 (7.9) years. Sixty-seven cases involved rape (69.8%) and 12 cases involved gang rape. Twelve cases were allegedly committed by relatives of the victim, 57 cases involved persons known to the victim and 27 cases (28.1%) were allegedly perpetrated by strangers. Most cases were reportedly committed at the victim’s’ own house (n=32). Conclusion: This study highlights the salient fact that most perpetrators were known by the victim. Rape was the commonest type of sexual assault and most victims were between the age of 19-30. The comprehensive recommendations for prevention of sexual violence put forward by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be implemented by all relevant parties.