Sexual Assault Crisis Center: The First Interdisciplinary Effort in Turkey

Abstract

Sexual violence and assault has a wide range of negative consequences that affect the victims for the rest of their lives. Proper medical as well as psychological care is essential for the survivors who have experienced a traumatic process. One-step institutions that deal with all related issues following the victimization are established in various countries. We took the responsibility to organize such a center for the first time in our country. The designed “Sexual Assault Crisis Center” is active in legal history taking, medical-forensic examination, professional evidence collection by trained personnel, and detailed evidence analysis (DNA, drugs of abuse, trace evidence, etc.). Thus, the victims do not have to go to various institutions one after the other to prove the case. Care providers, law officers, and the legal system are satisfied with the outcomes. An organized collaboration of different organizations is archived to the benefit of the sufferer. Furthermore, a training program for four different related parties, such as medical doctors, nurses, psychologists, and healthcare managers, has been developed in order to train other personnel for the sustainability of the project. The basic aim is to develop this first model as a prototype and contribute to its spreading throughout the country.