**1. Introduction**

Sexual assault can be characterized as gender inequality, power imbalance, and hatred that generally results in violence against women. This fact does not exclude children, male, and LGBTI+ victims. Based on surveys on violence against woman performed in the USA, approximately 8 million of women and 3 million of men have experienced rape once or more in their lifetime [1, 2]. In most of the cases, the perpetrators are known to the victims, and false notations like "rape happens to young- and good-looking women" or that "it is committed by mentally problematic people" are incorrect. Likewise, rape does not frequently occur in places that are not properly illuminated or uninhabited remote areas as it is generally acknowledged, but mostly happen in very familiar setting like the home of the victim or the offender. Attractive sexy clothing is never considered a reason for rape [3].

There is a series of well-reported problems that survivors of sexual assaults suffer, in the short and long run following the rape. Medical impacts on genital organs because of physical traumas, pregnancy and unsafe abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases are complications seen in the short run, whereas anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, suicidal behavior, eating disorders, and even dental health problems affect the victims in the long run [4–7]. PTSD influences the sexual life of the sufferers in a long run too. Considering rape in war, genocide, prisons, and police stations, the magnitude of the problem increases tremendously [8]. Nevertheless, it is well reported that millions of women are affected all over the world regardless of their age, socioeconomic position, and economic or educational status [2, 9, 10].

In a detailed study that was undertaken in Turkey, while women constitute 35–40% of victims of sexual assault, the proportion of children is 50%, and the average age of these children is 11.5 years. The youngest child was a girl of less than one year of age and a 1.5-year-old boy. We see that 5% adult males, 5% mentally handicapped individuals, 1–3% elderly people, and 90-year-old senior ladies are also victims of this crime. Boys and girls exposed to sexual abuse are equal in number. The reasoning for the attempts was reported as the victim was responsible for the attack, the aggressor was sexually aroused, and that this act was the result of sexual provocation. The way that a 1-year-old child provokes the aggressor has no valid explanation [11].

The study in mention revealed that the rate of realization of sexual attack in desolate and dark places is around 10% only. The riskiest environment seems to be the home of the attacker or the victim, with a rate of 60%. The rate of attack in a different house is around 20%. Another misconception is the belief that the victim of sexual assault must have suffered extensive physical injury. In practice, physical damage can be detected only in one-fourth of the cases. The reason for this is that physical violence is used in only half of the cases, and detectable damage occurs in half of them. Again, while the aggressor is mostly thought to be a stranger, victim screening studies show that 75% of the perpetrators against women and 90% against children are familiar people [11].

Resolving the case, identifying the perpetrator and desiring his/her punishment is an expected reaction of the victims, families, and the societies. Yet, conviction rates for sexually committed crimes are considerably low. There are various reasons that prevent victims to disclose rape cases, the main of them being the possibility of the shift of the blame toward themselves and the disbelief by the legal system. Sufferers think that both police and their families will disregard their claims and disbelieve them.

The negative attitude of the society, the fear that the claim will not be taken seriously, the thought that the aggressor will not be punished, care for the perpetrator himself (in case of close relatives or friends), and the perpetrator's possibility of retaliation can be counted as the reasons for such a low rate of reporting the event. However, the "fear of not being able to prove the incident" forms a serious obstacle for the victim to apply to the court.

It is necessary to discuss the reasons for refusal to notify in Turkey because the society approach is interesting. For many years, the concept of honor was related to sexuality for women and not for men. The veil of honor was present in legislation until 2005. Forced sexual intercourse was not considered a crime, and the abortion with the promise of marriage was legal. All these show that the laws perceived this crime as an act of sexuality only. In this case, the woman's dress and behavior have always been questioned, and the investigation of the victim's responsibility in the attack has been discussed on both social and legal grounds. The criminal law has been changed in 2005, and it has been stated that sexual assault is a crime motivated by domination and control, and it is not a sexually motivated action. However, the negative societal conception is still there. As a result, victims in Turkey are truly rejected from their families and

#### *Sexual Assault Crisis Center: The First Interdisciplinary Effort in Turkey DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104531*

their communities following a rape victimization, the sexual aggression remains undisclosed, and the rapist is rarely convicted [11, 12].

The "one-stop center" model for supporting survivors of sexual violence has gained attention in recent years. There are several centers functioning in this aspect primarily in the USA. We established the first full-scale sexual assault center, in which we provide confidential support to survivors with specially trained staff over a wide range of services. Apart from performing forensic medical examination, evidence collection, reporting to the police, providing medical care, making a police statement, and giving psychological support are within the scope of the establishment. Although it is not very easy to establish and operate, not surprisingly, there are many positive benefits for survivors. We hope that this will be a model for the Turkish legal system and that this effort will form the basis for a national understanding.
