The Sexual Abuse of Children: Cases Submitted to a Police Laboratory and the Scientific Evidence

Abstract

This paper is based on a lecture given to an audience consisting mainly of social workers and paediatricians. The purpose of the talk was to explain the sort of evidence that could be provided by a forensic biologist in order to show that a child had been sexually assaulted, and to help identify the assailant. The introduction to the talk was composed of a review of the types of cases involving the sexual abuse of children that have been dealt with by this laboratory during the last two years (1984–85). A description was then given of the various biological materials which, if found in appropriate places, can substantiate an allegation of sexual assault. A brief reference was made to the persistence of semen in the vagina, rectum and mouth, and to the blood group substances which occur in different body fluids.