A Case Study
Stechna reported that in one case of incest rape a 10 year old girl was impregnated by her uncle who was living in the home (2011). The victim did not believe that she was raped, and although she said she understood that she was pregnant, she didn’t know the vocabulary for her own body parts, nor how they functioned as a female (Stechna, 2011). Further details of this case are revealing:
The girl’s patient care plan included reminders for the staff that, unlike most deliveries, this is not a joyous occasion (Stechna, 2011). A sheet barrier was used as the patient and her family did not want to see or hear the baby, the baby was to be moved to the next room immediately after delivery where the pediatric nurse team would be on standby (Stechna, 2011). The sheet
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The age of the victims may result in an absence of knowledge of legal rights and protections. Being able to even identify that an assault has occurred may be minimal or non-existent for many women and children (for example, the pervasive perception that a husband can’t rape a wife). Children may also believe that they are willing participants or have provoked the incidents (Russell, 1986). They may report that they enjoyed some elements of the experience or didn’t do anything to stop the experience and feel that they then deserved what happened and could not blame the offender and thus didn’t report the assault (Russell, 1986). Due to the highly sensitive and personal nature of sexual violence, pregnancy due to sexual violence, and incest, data collection is limited to substantiated cases from law enforcement agencies, well as self-reported survey data, and case study data. None of these forms of data collection are capable of giving a comprehensive, or completely accurate about the breadth and scope of these phenomena in the United