Alleged cases of sexual assault reported to two Addis Ababa hospitals

OBJECTIVES: To identify the demographic characteristics of victims, their relation to the alleged assailants, the degree of physical injury, the incidence of pregnancy, the pattern of reporting and the care given to these victims. DESIGN: Cross-sectional prospective study. SETTING: Tikur Anbessa and St. Paul's hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. PATIENTS: One hundred and seventy reported cases of alleged sexual assault. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Demographic characteristics, relation to the offender, the rate of pregnancy, the degree of physical injury, time of reporting, and the care given at the hospitals. RESULTS: Victims were mainly children aged less than fifteen years and less educated. Seventy three (42.9%) cases indicated that the offenders were strangers 46.9 (27.1%) were labelled as neighbours. The physical injury identified ranged from minor trauma over the genitalia to perineal injury of major degree. Eleven women (6.5%) were pregnant at the time of reporting. There was significant delay in reporting to the health institution as well as to the police with a mean delay of 15.6 and 18.4 days respectively. The hospital care focussed on the healing of physical injury but not the healing of the psychological trauma. CONCLUSION: Sexual assault is an important health and social problem affecting the young and less educated girls. The importance of early reporting for evidence collection as well as for prevention of the consequences of this aggression is not appreciated by the victims as well as their relatives. There is need for more effort to prevent this crime as well as to improve the care given to the survivors.