Public Opinion About #MeToo Victims and Offenders: A Nationwide Experiment

During the #MeToo movement, many sexual assault survivors are discredited because of their delay in disclosure or failure to report to the police. The current study investigates which factors influence public opinion towards sexual assault victims and offenders by analyzing data from a national factorial survey. Results show disclosing the offense immediately to the public, reporting to the police, and having a witness are positively related to punitive attitudes towards the offender, via increased perceived credibility of the victim. The results highlight the importance of understanding extralegal factors in shaping stereotypic views about sexual assault in the #MeToo era.

Reported Cases of Sexual Assault in Civil Hospital Sanghar

Aim: To evaluate the sexual assault against male and female. Study design: Retrospective study Place and duration of study: Civil Hospital Sanghar from 1st January 2020 to 31st December, 2020 Methodology: Forty two cases of sexual assault and recognize the associated factors were enrolled. The age between 6-35 years and either gender were included. Result: There were 28.6% females and 71.4% males, highest victims were among age between 6-18 years was 17(40.5%), illiterate was 23(54.7%), assaulted by a neighbour was 30 (71.4%) and time lapse <1-2 days was 19(45.4%) sexual assaults. Conclusion: Majority of victims were males, assailant relationships of neighbour and illiterate. Keywords: Sexual assault, Victims, Assailants

Study of Clinical Forensic Examination Reports and Alleged Offences in Sexual Assault Cases: Civil Hospital Sanghar

Background: Several factors influence the occurrence of genito-anal injuries in sexual assault victims. The occurrence of injuries aids in the future laying of accusations against the accused, making forensic examination, documenting of injuries, and report preparation difficult for healthcare personnel. Aim: To find out the pattern of genito-anal injuries and the circumstances that lead to charges being filed against the accused. Place and Duration of Study: Civil Hospital Sanghar from 1st January 2019 to 31st December, 2019. Methodology: This cross-sectional study Sixty sexual assault cases were incorporated all survivors of rape, paying little heed to age, who announced a background marked by rape to the police or straightforwardly to our tertiary consideration community. Result: Penile-anal penetration is the most common 82.4% and second most common was penile-oral penetration was 75%. Fifty percent of ano-genital bleeding was found in the sexual assault victims and 45.6% were physical assault during sexual assault. Mostly cases were based on incomplete investigation with the highest 47.1%. Conclusion: Although no single event will bring the victim's recovery to a close, the arrest and successful conviction of the offender can be a significant step forward. Contrary to popular assumption, genital damage is not the usual in the aftermath of sexual assault. Keywords: Sexual assault, alleged, offences

Flowers for Sexual Assault Victims: Collective Empowerment through Empathy in Japan's #MeToo Movement

The #MeToo movement in Japan is usually considered to have started slowly, and it remains far smaller and quieter compared with those found in the United States or South Korea. Few celebrities or high-profile figures have come forward to support the movement, and even fewer powerful men have been brought down as a result of allegations of sexual assault. The strategy of naming and shaming has rarely been used, but there is collective empowerment through empathy resulting from a nationwide grassroots movement known as “Flower Demo.” This movement has provided victims with a safe space to share their experiences. Those breaking their silence have appeared in various sectors of society, and this has raised the social consciousness of deep-rooted sexism inherent in Japanese society.

Sexual Assault in Emerging Adulthood

Emerging adulthood is a period of increased risk for sexual victimization, with women being at a particularly high risk of experiencing sexual assault. Victims of sexual assault are at an increased risk for several negative consequences, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use. Social norms and differences in dating expectations among emerging adults may create environments that promote sexual aggression. Alcohol use appears to be a risk factor for victimization among both men and women, as well as a risk factor for men perpetrating sexual violence. Although sexual assault is commonly associated with negative outcomes, research on post-traumatic growth has found that sometimes individuals experience growth following a traumatic event. Prevention programs have traditionally focused on reducing sexual aggressive behavior among men and changing social norms around assault; however, behavioral programs focusing on improving women’s skills to avoid and respond to sexually risky situations have yielded reductions in assault rates.

What victims tell us about their sexual assault offenders: age, sex, victim-offender relationships, and type of threats (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Sexual assault perpetrated mostly by males against mostly females is a serious crime that seems to remain relatively stable when other crimes have significantly declined. Many factors are involved in sexual assaults. Undertaking these factors and their relationships with one another is essential to designing and providing more efficient and empirically-based preventative and intervention programs. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze what victims of one sexual assault who sought therapy tell us about their sex, age at which they were assaulted, the sex and age of the perpetrator, the relationship with the perpetrator, and the type of threats used to gain their compliance. METHODS Therapists at eight sexual assault centers around the province of Alberta, Canada, completed a questionnaire on each of their clients over seven years. A total of 1525 participants, of which 1417 (92.92%) were female, and 108 (7.08%) were male victims of one sexual assault, were included in this study. Descriptive analyses were carried out on the six variables of concern in this study. RESULTS Female victims sought therapy by a ratio of 13:1 relative to male victims of one sexual assault. Victims seeking therapy reported that they were sexually assaulted by 1492 male and 33 female perpetrators, a 45:1 male to female ratio. Most female perpetrators (42.2%) were aged 30 years and older, followed by 39.4% aged 1-17 years. Most male perpetrators (46.2%) were aged 18-29 years, followed by 30.6% aged 30 and older. Perpetrators sexually offended mostly against their aged counterpart victims except for those aged 30 and older, who were involved in more cases of one sexual assault against a person in every age group. Over 90% of assaults were committed by a person known to the victim—acquaintances, friends, and dates comprised over 50%, and strangers 12.9% of cases. At 51.5%, physical force was the most common type of threat used by all perpetrators, followed by drugs and alcohol (13.2%), bribes and promises (11.5%), using weapons or threats of a weapon (9.2%). CONCLUSIONS Female victims of sexual assault seek help more readily than males. The majority of victims of sexual assault are females, whereas the overwhelming majority of perpetrators are males. In addition, perpetrators of sexual assaults are mostly known to the victims and have some relationship. Finally, physical force is the threat used most often to gain victims' compliance.

Unmasking the Healthcare Issues Slipping through the Cracks during the Pandemic

Over the last nine years, the International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) has been assisting medical students to seek excellence in research. From its conception, IJMS has been publishing tri-annually; however, due to the huge number of article submissions to the journal, IJMS is now publishing four issues every year. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rise in the incidence of crime and interpersonal violence, including sexual assault. Despite this, it has also been found that the number of such offences reported has decreased. In this editorial, we bring to light the under-recognized issue of sexual assault by highlighting an article regarding medical students' training in caring for assault victims that will be published in this issue. We also discuss other under-recognized healthcare problems in this editorial. This upcoming issue of IJMS is one that not only contains research and experience pieces about the COVID-19 pandemic's ramifications; beautifully recounted and inspiring experiences from medical students can also be found in this issue. Combined with the intriguing case reports and a letter-to-the-editor, we are sure that this upcoming issue will pique the curiosity of our worldwide readership.

Making the Call: College Students’ Legal Consciousness and Hypothetical Activation of Police for Sexual Assaults

Research has identified the necessity of sexual assault victims to label their experience as criminal to initiate reporting. However, barriers exist in labeling uninvited sexual contact as criminal. This study examined college students’ assessments of whether eight nonconsensual behaviors met the legal definition of sexual assault, and whether such behaviors should be reported to police. Results indicated students acknowledged the nonconsensual behaviors as criminal; however, gaps were identified between awareness that the acts were criminal and willingness to report to police. Findings demonstrate a need for continued efforts for sexual assault prevention among college students.