Piloting sexual assault care centres in Belgium: who do they reach and what care is offered?

Figures & data

Figure 1. Model of the Belgian sexual assault care centres (SACC)

Table 1. Characteristics of 931 victims by age group attending one of three Belgian SACCs between 25 October 2017 and 31 October 2018

	Victims all ages (N = 931) N (%)	Victims <18 years (N = 268) N (%)	Victims ≥18 years (N = 663) N (%)	p-Value
Legal gender – Female	843 (90.5)	238 (88.8)	605 (91.0)	.248
Transgender victim	12 (1.3)	1 (0.4)	11 (1.7)	.196*
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual	583 (78.4)	n.a.	515 (77.7)
Lesbian, gay or other sexual orientation	48 (6.5)	n.a.	44 (6.6)
Unknown	113 (15.2)	n.a.	104 (15.7)
Country of origin				.003
Belgium	593 (63.7)	193 (72.0)	400 (60.3)
EU country	104 (11.2)	19 (7.1)	85 (12.8)
Outside of EU	181 (19.4)	40 (14.9)	141 (21.3)
Unknown	53 (5.7)	16 (6.0)	37 (5.6)
Resident status – undocumented	26 (2.8)	5 (1.9)	21 (3.2)	.275
Living situation				.000
Living alone, with family or partner	772 (82.9)	223 (83.2)	549 (82.8)
Residential or foster care	72 (7.7)	36 (13.4)	36 (5.4)
Homeless	36 (3.9)	3 (1.1)	33 (5.0)
Unknown	51 (5.5)	6 (2.2)	45 (6.8)
Disability				.657*
No disability	821 (88.2)	233 (86.9)	588 (88.7)
Cognitive disability	60 (6.4)	22 (8.2)	38 (5.7)
Physical disability	14 (1.5)	3 (1.1)	11 (1.7)
Multiple disabilities	6 (0.6)	1 (0.4)	5 (0.8)
Unknown	30 (3.2)	9 (3.4)	21 (3.2)
Prior psychiatric consultation				.000
Yes	360 (38.7)	70 (26.1)	290 (43.7)
No	495 (53.2)	174 (64.9)	321 (48.4)
Unknown	76 (8.2)	24 (9.0)	52 (7.8)

*Fisher’s exact test.

Table 2. Assault characteristics by age group of 931 victims attending one of three Belgian SACCs between 25 October 2017 and 31 October 2018

	Victims all ages (N = 931) N (%)	Victims <18 years (N = 268) N (%)	Victims ≥18 years (N = 663) N (%)	p-Value
Type of sexual violence				.155
Sexual harassment	13 (1.4)	4 (1.5)	9 (1.4)
Physical sexual violence without penetration	130 (14.0)	38 (14.2)	92 (13.9)
Attempted rape	40 (4.3)	9 (3.4)	31 (4.7)
Rape	587 (63.1)	158 (59.0)	429 (64.7)
Unknown	161 (17.3)	59 (22.0)	102 (15.4)
Victim-assailant relationship				.000*
Partner/ex-partner	126 (13.5)	24 (9.0)	102 (15.4)
Family or household member	100 (10.7)	71 (26.5)	29 (4.4)
Acquaintance	325 (34.9)	118 (44.0)	207 (31.2)
Stranger	364 (39.1)	55 (20.5)	309 (46.6)
Unknown (no memory/no info)	16 (1.7)	0 (0.0)	16 (2.4)
Assailant’s gender				.197**
Man/men	857 (92.1)	251 (93.7)	606 (91.4)
Women/women	5 (0.5)	2 (0.7)	3 (0.5)
Mixed gender	4 (0.4)	2 (0.7)	2 (0.3)
Unknown	65 (7.0)	13 (4.9)	52 (7.8)
Number of assailants				.137
1	746 (80.1)	225 (84.0)	521 (78.6)
>1	120 (12.9)	30 (11.2)	90 (13.6)
Unknown	65 (7.0)	13 (4.9)	52 (7.8)
Prior sexual assault				.000
Yes	331 (35.6)	62 (23.1)	269 (40.6)
No	476 (51.1)	169 (63.1)	307 (46.3)
Unknown	124 (13.3)	37 (13.8)	87 (13.1)

*Chi-Square test whereby category ‘unknown’ has been considered as missing values; **Fisher’s exact test.

Table 3. Additional assault characteristics by age for 447 victims presenting for rape within 1 week of the assault at one of three Belgian SACCs between 25 October 2017 and 31 October 2018

	Victims all ages (N = 447) N (%)	Victims <18 years (N = 109) N (%)	Victims ≥18 years (N = 338) N (%)	p-Value
Type of penetration				.331
Vaginal	167 (37.4)	36 (33.0)	131 (38.8)
Oral	12 (2.7)	4 (3.7)	8 (2.4)
Anal	26 (5.8)	10 (9.2)	16 (4.7)
Multiple	121 (27.1)	27 (24.8)	94 (27.8)
Unknown	121 (27.1)	32 (29.4)	89 (26.3)
Reported physical violence				.001
No	44 (9.8)	17 (15.6)	27 (8.0)
Light	112 (25.1)	32 (29.4)	80 (23.7)
Moderate to severe	130 (29.1)	16 (14.7)	114 (33.7)
Unknown	161 (36.0)	44 (40.4)	117 (34.6)
Use of alcohol/drugs before/during assault				.000
Yes	197 (44.1)	27 (24.8)	170 (50.3)
No	146 (32.7)	49 (45.0)	97 (28.7)
Unknown	104 (23.3)	33 (30.3)	71 (21.0)

Table 4. Characteristics of acute care by age group for 931 victims attending one of three Belgian SACCs between 25 October 2017 and 31 October 2018

	Victims all ages (N = 931) N (%)	Victims <18 years (N = 268) N (%)	Victims ≥18 years (N = 663) N (%)	p-Value
Delay of presentation to SACC				.000
Within 72 h	618 (66.4)	143 (53.4)	475 (71.6)
>72 h–1 week	87 (9.3)	36 (13.4)	51 (7.7)
>1 week–1 month	69 (7.4)	26 (9.7)	43 (6.5)
>1 month	102 (11.0)	31 (11.6)	71 (10.7)
Unknown	55 (5.9)	32 (11.9)	23 (3.5)
Forensic examination	564 (60.6)	144 (53.7)	420 (63.3)	.007
Medical care	695 (74.7)	192 (71.6)	503 (75.9)	.180
Reporting to police	640 (68.7)	197 (73.5)	443 (66.8)	.046
Timing of decision to report (N = 640)				.737
Prior presentation to police	410 (64.1)	125 (63.5)	285 (64.3)
Decided at presentation to SACC	132 (20.6)	42 (21.3)	90 (20.3)
Decided upon discussion with SACC nurse	57 (8.9)	15 (7.6)	42 (9.5)
Decided during follow-up care	41 (6.4)	15 (7.6)	26 (5.9)

Table 5. Medical acute and follow-up care characteristics for 447 victims presenting for rape within 1 week at one of three Belgian SACCs between 25 October 2017 and 31 October 2018

	Victims all ages (N = 447) N (%)	Victims <18 years (N = 109) N (%)	Victims ≥18 years (N = 338) N (%)	p-Value
Hepatitis B assessment	387 (86.6)	81 (74.3)	306 (90.5)	.000
Hepatitis C test	390 (87.2)	85 (78.0)	305 (90.2)	.001
HIV test	394 (88.1)	85 (78.0)	309 (91.4)	.000
Chlamydia trachomatis test	382 (85.5)	82 (75.2)	300 (88.8)	.000
Syphilis test	389 (87.0)	83 (76.1)	306 (90.5)	.000
Gonorrhoea test	382 (85.5)	82 (75.2)	300 (88.8)	.000
Hepatitis B vaccine	106 (23.7)	17 (15.6)	89 (26.3)	.022
STD treatment	298 (66.7)	60 (55.0)	238 (70.4)	.003
Ceftriaxone	271 (60.6)	54 (49.5)	217 (64.2)	.006
Azithromycin	293 (65.5)	60 (55.0)	233 (68.9)	.008
Metronidazole^#	203 (45.4)	29 (26.6)	174 (51.5)	.000
Start of HIV Post-exposure prophylaxis (presentations within 72 h only, N = 387)	275 (71.7)	54 (62.8)	221 (73.4)	.055
Presence at HIV reference centre within 1 week after admission at SACC (only those for who PEP was started, N = 275)	219 (79.6)	48 (88.9)	171 (77.4)	.060
Pregnancy test (women only, N = 403)	241 (59.8)	60 (63.2)	181 (58.8)	.445
Emergency contraception (women only, N = 403)	138 (34.2)	34 (35.8)	104 (33.8)	.716

^#Not administered in SACC Gent.

Table 6. Characteristics of follow-up care by age group for 849 victims attending one of three Belgian SACCs between 25 October 2017 and 31 October 2018 (victims below 16 years of SACC Brussels excluded)

	Victims all ages (N = 849) N (%)	Victims <18 years (N = 186) N (%)	Victims ≥18 years (N = 663) N (%)	p-Value
Case management	772 (90.9)	171 (91.9)	601 (90.9)	.589
Median number of case management contacts (N = 772)	7 [4–10]	6 [4–8]	7 [4–10]
Follow-up by trauma psychologist	426 (50.2)	88 (47.3)	338 (51.0)	.377
Median number of contacts with trauma psychologist (N = 427)	2 [1–4]	2 [1–4]	2 [1–4]

Data availability statement

The research complies with the European General Data Protection Regulation and the data set can as such not be made publicly available.