Technology-facilitated sexual assault in children and adolescents; is there a cause for concern? Fourteen years of experience at a metropolitan forensic paediatric medical service.

AIM: To quantify and characterise sexual assaults occurring after 12-17-year-old children connect with an alleged offender online (technology-facilitated sexual assault: TFSA) examined at a paediatric forensic medical service in Melbourne, Australia between 2014 and 2020. To compare these findings to a previous 7-year audit (2007-2013) to determine if there has been an increase in TFSA over the last 14 years.

METHODS

A retrospective audit was undertaken of medical records of children aged 12-17 who underwent forensic medical examinations at the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service following an allegation of sexual assault, between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2020. Cases identified as being technology facilitated were further analysed. Results from 2014 to 2020 7-year cohort were then compared to an existing audit over the preceding 7-year period (2007-2013).

RESULTS

Of 515 sexual assault cases between 2014 and 2020, 70 (14%) victims reported connecting with the offender on a technological platform, compared to 4% of cases between 2007 and 2013. In 2019 and 2020, TFSA comprised almost one-fifth of caseload. Of the 70 TFSA cases, the majority occurred at the first face-to-face meeting following a variable period of online communication. Approximately one-third of TFSA's occurred at the offender's residence, and another third in a public place (park, public toilets). Technological platforms used evolved over the 14-year study period.

CONCLUSIONS

The proportion of TFSA caseload seen at an Australian paediatric forensic medical service increased over the last 14 years, with common characteristics to these sexual assaults suggested.