What-does-a-sexual-assault-medical-examination-prove?

Beyond identifying, defining a sexual assault medical examination, also called a forensic examination or rape kit, has several functions. It is conducted to:

 1. Collect Physical Evidence:

 Biological Evidence: The examination can retrieve the evidence like semen, saliva, blood, or skin cells that can be the perpetrator’s. It can also be vital in leading to the arrestation of the perpetrator besides fixing him to the crime.

 Trace Evidence: The exam may also pick fibers, hair, or any material that may implicate the suspect with the victim or the scene of the crime.

 Injuries: The examination reflects any external trauma (n. e. , contusions, abrasions) incurred by the victim’s physique, including the genital area, which contributes to the narration of rape.

 2. Document the Assault:

 Medical Findings: It records the state of physical injuries and their absent; and obtains records of medical history related to the attack on the victim.

 Legal Record: The findings made during the examination consist of documentation that can back the victim and aid in a prosecution in the case of a trial.

 3. Assess and Provide Medical Care:Assess and Provide Medical Care:

 Treatment of Injuries: All the first-response physical injuries are managed and the patient is offered medical attention to any physical abuse that the victim has suffered.

 Preventative Treatment: In most cases the victim is advised and prescribed with STI prophylaxis and emergency contraception.

 4. Provide Psychological Support:

 Emotional and Psychological Care: The examination involves referral to psychological or counselling services as part of examining the psychological effects of the assault.

 What the Examination Does Not Prove:What the Examination Does Not Prove:

 Consent: The exam does not record the existence of consent or the lack of it. It can merely describe actions and take note of signs; issues to do with consent are generally handled during the probe and the trial.

 Assailant's Identity (Directly): Even though DNA evidence lets you compare the suspect with the criminal, the exam in question cannot determine the criminal by itself.

 Summary:

 A sexual assault medical examination’s primary function is to look for evidential material that may help in the legal proceedings and as well tend to the needs of a survivor, and last but not least to assess the condition of a victim. The information gathered can be useful in trial but it does not define whether an assault happened or there was consent – those conclusions are legal.