CLINICAL AND SOCIO-LEGAL ASPECTS OF INVESTIGATING CASES OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE: THE EXPERIENCE OF ONE CENTER IN UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

Sexual assault crimes remain one of the most frequently reported offenses in law enforcement. These crimes are complex, but some times even with thorough investigation, many details remain hidden or misinterpreted. Lack of understanding of legal definitions of sexual assault, vagueness of the concepts of “consent”, “harassment” or “aggressive act” lead to the fact that victims do not realize that their rights are violated[1]. Another compensating factor may be the lack of access to medical, psychological, and legal assistance, especially in rural or remote areas. The objective of the present study is to perform a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics of forensic medical practice in investigating cases of sexual violence against women, with emphasis on examining the socio-demographic characteristics of victims (in particular, distribution by age and adult/minor status), identifying patterns in seeking assistance from medical and law-enforcement institutions, and determining the time in tervals between the incident of violence and the moment of seeking help. The study was conducted in the Outpatient Department of the Tashkent City Branch of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Forensic Medical Examination (Uzbekistan) from January 2024 to June 2025. The study included all individuals brought to the outpatient department with a statement of sexual assault. The total number of those examined was 94 victims, including both women and men who had been subjected to various forms of sexual assault. All of the victims underwent sexual forensic medical examination depending on the indications and circumstances. Qualitative data were processed using descriptive statistics: absolute and relative frequencies and percentages were calculated. If necessary, for numeric variables data and measures of central tendency and dispersion (mean, median, standard deviation) were used, taken from the forensic medical expert’s report — including the opinion of the forensic medical examination, the decree appointing the forensic medical examination, medical documents (ultrasound data, medical certificates etc.), and the re sults of laboratory investigations of biological materials. Most of the victims of the alleged sexual assault were minors under the age of 16. Victims often expressed consent to sexual intercourse, but the law states that persons under 16 do not have the legal capacity to consent. Adult victims often consented to intimate relationships under the pretext of marriage. Furthermore, data on the distribution of pregnant victims demonstrates the high vulnerability of minors to sexual violence leading to unwanted pregnancy, and also highlights the need to develop specialized preventive and legal measures to protect this age group. In today's world, sexual assault remains one of the most pressing threats to public health and social stability. Despite the measures being taken, there remains a need to further strengthen the Republic of Uzbekistan's national programs aimed at preventing and reducing the incidence of sexual assaults.