The Trainer Training on Evidence Collection and Security in Sexual Assault, jointly conducted by Üsküdar University Institute of Addiction and Forensic Sciences and the Ministry of Health, was organized for the second time due to high demand. The practical and certified training took place in the Central Campus Ayhan Songar Conference Hall.
Many forensic scientists, including Üsküdar University Vice Rector and Director of the Institute of Addiction and Forensic Sciences, Sevil Atasoy, and Deputy Head of the Forensic Sciences Department and Forensic Scientist, Tuğba Ünsal Sapan, participated as educators in the organized event.
During the event, expert physicians and nurses were informed about the legal dimensions of sexual assault, criminal sanctions, the responsibilities of physicians and nurses, and the safe evidence collection process, all in accordance with international standards.
Prof. Dr. Atasoy: “We are trying to train nurses educated in forensic sciences…”
Prof. Dr. Sevil Atasoy, Director of the Institute of Addiction and Forensic Sciences, stated that sexual assault is a serious crime and a problem affecting the world. Atasoy said; “According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 3 women worldwide experience sexual assault. Only 14 percent of victims go to the police, and as a result of these complaints, only 12 percent of assailants appear before a judge. In Turkey, for the first time in 1995, we included nurses in relevant programs at Istanbul University to train them in forensic sciences, first for master's degrees and then for doctorates. Currently, at Üsküdar University, we provide opportunities for both physicians to pursue doctorates and for nurses and midwives to pursue master's and doctorate degrees.”
Prof. Dr. Sevil Atasoy: “Sexual assault has nothing to do with gender”
Atasoy stated that in global statistics, Turkey sees 15.6 sexual assault incidents per 100,000 people, adding, “There is no gender difference here, no male-female difference, both exist, but the global average is 13.9 per 100,000 people. Surprisingly, Sweden is in 4th place within the top 10 of this list. This means it has little to do with geography, culture, or education. The reason for this lies in the laws. It's a matter of what laws define as sexual assault for statistical purposes. If your laws define and punish actions as sexual assault from a much broader perspective, the numbers might appear high. Sweden is one such example.”
Atasoy: “The success of solving a case begins with crime scene investigation”
Atasoy made the following evaluations, stating that when looking at how many victimizations are reported and recorded, data from Turkey show that between 1 and 10 cases per 100,000 people are reported: “There are also obstacles to reporting in a country. In Turkey, there is a much higher frequency of incidents than reported, but there are obstacles. In many countries, victims of sexual assault face various barriers; sometimes cultural, sometimes social, sometimes the family's unwillingness to speak about it, or the victim being forced to commit suicide or murdered due to such incidents, leading them not to go to the police. Solving sexual crimes poses a significant challenge. Because our concern is to find out who the perpetrator is. We are after who committed the act, not the nature of the act itself. The success of solving a case begins with crime scene investigation. In sexual assaults, the crime scene also includes the bodies and clothing of the victim and suspect. If you do not properly investigate the crime scene, your forensic laboratories will be useless.”
Dr. Tuğba Ünsal Sapan: “The privacy of private life is inviolable”
Dr. Tuğba Ünsal Sapan, Deputy Head of the Forensic Sciences Department, addressed the legal dimension of evidence collection and security in sexual assaults. Sapan stated that crimes against sexual inviolability begin with Article 20 of the Constitution, saying, “Article 20 of the Constitution states that the privacy of private life is inviolable. Private life is precisely the subject matter that falls within sexual life. Most sexual offenses arise from the usurpation of this area. Legislation regarding “Crimes Against Sexual Inviolability”: Articles 102 and 105 of the Turkish Penal Code No. 5237; Body Examination and Collection of Samples from the Body are detailed in Articles 75-80 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP) No. 5271, and physicians especially need to know the legislation regarding “Body Examination and Collection of Samples from the Body”. What we discussed here today is related to “Article 102 of the Turkish Penal Code and subsequent evidence collection.”
Dr. Tuğba Ünsal Sapan: “How should biological evidence be collected and packaged?”
Sapan provided information on what to consider when collecting sample types; “She spoke about how DNA-containing traces on a sexual assault victim, such as saliva, blood, and semen, should be collected, emphasizing that appropriate materials, especially swabs, should be used during collection, and that these should be preserved in sealed and signed paper envelopes and delivered to law enforcement without breaking the chain of custody of evidence.
Dr. Tuğba Ünsal Sapan: “Information about the incident should be obtained without re-traumatizing the person”
During the training, Dr. Tuğba Ünsal Sapan explained what is important when examining a person who has been subjected to sexual assault; “Information about how the incident occurred should be obtained without re-traumatizing the person. Sexual assault examination is not limited to genital examination; a physical examination is also essential, and the victim's entire body should be examined, paying particular attention to traces such as saliva, semen, signs of assault, or defense wounds – marks resulting from the person struggling while resisting – especially in the neck, arm, chest, and leg areas, and an assessment should be made and reported.”
