The medico-legal expertise and the identifying findings of sexual violence against women

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Sexual violence against women has a universal proportion and not only idealizes violence by coercive means of aggression against the woman's body, it affects the victim both physically and psychologically. Although, this type of violence leaves its traces well defined, most become unresolved because the victim most of the time is silent due to a number of reasons, highlighting the reason for fear of the aggressor and his non-responsibility for lack of evidence. In this scenario, the expertise carried out in an official state body is imperative in assisting justice in the search for truth and in the resolution of cases involving sexual aggression. OBJECTIVE: To carry out a narrative review regarding the possible findings that indi cate the occurrence of an alleged sexual violence against women in a Medical-Legal expertise. METHODS: A narrative review was developed based on the analysis of 12 articles published in the last 10 years in the database of the Virtual Health Library, LILAC, SCIELO and MEDLINE dealing with sexological expertise and its indicative findings of sexual violence in women, through the use of the descriptors: Sexological ex- pertise, findings, sexual violence and women. RESULTS: The high rate of sexual violence against women is still a latent issue in Brazil, because the vast majority of women insist on not recording what happened, either for fear that the authorities will not believe their word, shame, and even for fear of impunity for the offender. In this sense, the medico-legal expertise in cases of rape becomes an essential supporting instrument for the investigation of the suspect in order to bring together the constituent elements of the crime exam to be used in favor of the victim through a series of examinations. specific tests performed at the institute of forensic medicine, in addition to welcoming the victim and a cautious and detailed and patient approach to the woman throughout the examination. CONCLUSION: In short, it is perceived that there is no other way to analyze a fact supposedly of criminal origin other than from the assessment and valuation of expert evidence. There are decisive findings to conclude cases of sexual violence in the sexological expertise arising, among them, the collection of biological material for analysis and genetic identification of the suspect. Thus, a humanized, attentive and detailed service, added to the largest number of possible findings indicative of sexual violence in the victim to support the report carried out by the Medical Examiner, allows in addition to a moral rescue, the legal security they need after the misfortune.