Characteristics of female child sexual abuse in Hungary between 1986 and 2001: a longitudinal, prospective study

To summarize the characteristics of female child sexual abuse and to explore common features that may be utilized as targets for possible methods of prevention.

Prospective, longitudinal study.

A Hungarian county, University of Debrecen.

Between 1986 and 2001, 209 girls under the age of 18 who had been exposed to sexual abuse visited the Department of Adolescent Gynecology.

We prospectively collected data illustrating the characteristics of all cases. Events in which victim and perpetrator were members of the same family were recorded as intrafamilial. Subsequent legal procedures were also evaluated.

We describe the medical and legal approaches to handling child neglect.

Seventy-five percent of the victims were students, and 47% of them were between 11 and 14 years of age. The perpetrator was familiar to the victim in 66% of the cases, and a stranger in 34%. Fifty-two (25%) perpetrators were members of the victims' families. In 11% of cases, the perpetrator was the victim's father and in 10%, her stepfather. The abuse had occurred on multiple occasions in 21%. The occurrence rate of assault was highest in the summer season (59%). Thirty-nine percent of victims were accompanied by their mothers when they attended the clinic and 43%, by police. officers. Vaginal penetration was the type of abuse in 80%, and sexual perversion in 20%. Sixty-six victims were physically injured, and in 38 cases the presence of sperm was confirmed in vulvo-vaginal smears. One pregnancy occurred as the result of the abuse. In all, 127 cases were reported to the police; 56 of the perpetrators were sentenced as a result of legal proceedings.

A high proportion of female child sexual abuse takes place within the family and is revealed only after multiple episodes. The low reported prevalence of sexual assault is the consequence of the lack of cooperation between the emergency services in Hungary and the Hungarian criminal law. Prevention requires vigilance in out-of-school times, child education, early involvement of healthcare professionals, and adjustment of the administration of justice.