Medico legal procedures related to sexual assault: a 10-year retrospective experience of a Daphne protocol application

Background Sexual assault is a worldwide problem that has not yet been sufficiently acknowledged as confirmed by the literature. Italian law n.96, 1996, foreseeing norms regarding rape and sexual abuse, finally gave significant relevance to sex crimes. In 2004, the European Commission for Justice Internal Affairs and Social Politics promoted the Daphne II program to support victims of rape and abuse, and the Violence and Operative Healthcare Networks (Ve.R.S.O.) project started at the Policlinico “P. Giaccone” University Hospital of Palermo in 2006. Aim: data analysis emerging from 10 years experience of Daphne protocol utilization for the management of sexual assault victims.