Application of the genital injury severity scale in sexual violence victims

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual violence can affect every human being regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, social or employment status; It affects the freedom of decision and express consent to the benefit of sexual rights and the sexual integrity of those who are being prepared and who cannot the ability to decide on sexual activities deliberately. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (2011), 25.7% of Ecuadorian women have been victims of sexual violence. Within the physical examination of the victim, it is important to detect extra-genital, para-genital and/or genital injuries; To assist in the process, application scales have been created during the forensic sexological examination, one is the Genital Injury Severity Scale (GISS) developed by Kelly D. et al. in 2013, to assess and grade the injuries in the genital area of female victims. Objective: To apply the Genital Injury Severity Scale (GISS) and relate it to the naked eye during the forensic sexological examination. Methodology: The study design was observational, cross-sectional and analytical, in women victims of alleged sexual assault who underwent a forensic sexological examination. Results: It was shown that there is a good diagnostic concordance to establish genital injuries in women victims of alleged sexual assault, between the genital injury severity scale (GISS) and the naked eye (NE) (Kappa index: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52-0.79). Conclusions: The genital injury severity scale has a diagnostic agreement for the detection of injuries in the genital area concerning direct observation.