Is police investigation of rape biased by characteristics of victims?

Personal and sexual boundaries: the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities

Background

Previous research shows that people with intellectual disabilities have less knowledge about sexual health and are more vulnerable to victimisation. In cases of sexual abuse, they are likely to encounter the criminal justice system as vulnerable witnesses. Several challenges arise when people with intellectual disabilities are in communication with the criminal justice system. We aimed to explore the perceptions, experiences and knowledge of people with intellectual disabilities regarding personal and sexual boundaries in order to identify factors relevant for preventing sexual abuse, to develop future studies.

Method

The study had a qualitative design. Data were collected from seven people with mild intellectual disabilities (25–40 years; 2 men, five women) through one-to-one interviews in specialised health care services for people with intellectual disabilities (SHCS). The participants lived alone, in group homes and with their families. Many received professional support services. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

The interviews identified that the participants want to be in romantic relationships and that some, consider sex to be unimportant. Many of them have had trouble finding someone to have a romantic relationship with. The participants were unsure about sexual consent related to sexual activity, though many could explain the concept of consent in other contexts. Many participants reported that they had experienced sexual abuse, including online sexual abuse. Those participants who had reported the sexual abuse had positive experiences obtaining assistance from the criminal justice system. The participants who had experienced sexual abuse reported trauma and fear related to their experiences.

Conclusion

This study highlights the need for information about sexually abusive relationships, risks online and ways to get help. More attention should be given to the impact of trauma, police and mental health treatment following sexual abuse against people with intellectual disabilities.

Underserved survivors of sexual assault: a systematic scoping review

Background: Despite knowledge about the extensive and often long-lasting consequences of sexual assault, many survivors remain underserved by formal support systems (e.g. medical, mental health and criminal justice systems). Reasons for underutilizing services are as diverse as the survivors themselves, and little is known about which survivors are most underserved and why they are underserved. Objective: To help organize existing findings on this topic, a systematic scoping review was conducted to identify adult survivors of sexual assault, who may be particularly underserved when attempting to obtain services in Western countries. Method: Five databases (PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus and CINAHL) were systematically searched for studies published in English from 2000 onwards using terms such as 'sexual assault', 'help seeking', 'formal support', 'barriers' and variations thereof. Results: A total of 41 studies were included in the present scoping review, resulting in seven main categories of underserved survivors: Ethnic and cultural minorities, Disabilities, Financial vulnerability, Sexual and gender minorities, Mental health conditions, Problematic substance use, and Older age. Barriers encountered by survivors with these characteristics included limited access to formal supports and insufficient training and awareness among service providers about how to best support survivors. Conclusions: Recommendations include the need for more survivor-centred, culturally appropriate and trauma-informed services and more attention to survivors belonging to underserved groups in policy, practice and research.