It’s a medical exam like no other. When a forensic doctor from a medical-judicial unit sees a patient, it is often a victim of sexual violence. In this case, its mission will not be to diagnose or treat, but to carefully examine to look for elements that will be used in the investigation.
When she filed a complaint after being raped on a Saturday evening in March 2019, Cindy was accompanied by three police officers to a medical-judicial unit (UMJ), a route that seemed like “an eternity” to her. Cindy remembers that she was still in shock from her attack and upset by her “complicated treatment” at the police station. And the doctor who then welcomed her to the UMJ “was one of the first people to be a little compassionate”.
Establish a “climate of trust”
Sophie Tellier, forensic doctor at the UMJ in Bondy and at the Maison des Femmes de Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), works to “reassure” and “instill confidence” in her patients as much as possible “by the speech “. “When you explain well, it’s better experienced,” she sums up. “We must respect the victim’s pace, make them understand that the examination will not necessarily be easy while reassuring them,” adds Renaud Clément, head of the UMJ of Nantes.
The victim is often greeted by a doctor assisted by a nurse. And Cindy, who took her steps in the middle of the night, was alone with the doctor and relieved to be with a woman. “It would have been a man, I would not have been in any condition, I had just been attacked by a man,” explains the woman who indicates that she usually has no problem with male doctors. Renaud Clément is well aware that his gender can complicate the examination. So he fulfills his role as a doctor by starting with a “classic medical examination which helps establish a climate of trust”.
Cindy remembers having difficulty removing her underwear and being completely naked, so the doctor “agreed that I keep them on for physical observation.” “She didn’t touch me, she asked me to turn around. Afterwards, she asked me to put my t-shirt back on to take off my panties. I didn’t want to be naked, I wasn’t comfortable, and she understood. We were full of kindness,” she confides. Knowing that at any moment, the victim can say “stop”.
From the most visible to the most intimate
A forensic examination for a victim of sexual violence must take place as quickly as possible after the attack in order to lose as few elements used in the investigation as possible. Doctors will mainly look for the DNA of the attacker and the more time passes, the more rare it will become. The same goes for lesions, if there are any. “Beyond five days, we do not take samples,” explains Sophie Tellier, according to which traces of lesions are detected in only ten to 30% of cases.
This search for documents necessary for the investigation requires manipulation of the victim’s body. So to avoid reliving a trauma, the doctor will take precautions. Renaud Clément indicates that he always starts with the most visible parts of the body, such as the arms and forearms, the neck, the face, “always at the person’s pace and explaining each gesture”. “Gradually, the victim relaxes and realizes that this is not a new attack so we can begin to approach areas of a more sexual nature such as the legs, thighs, thorax , breasts and pelvis,” he continues.
The delicate gynecological examination
Gradually, the doctor approaches the private parts. The exam is similar to a gynecological exam, with the feet in stirrups and exposure of the genitals. “It’s a crucial moment,” explains Renaud Clément, “because it involuntarily recalls the attack; it’s the most intense moment that can trigger a phenomenon of reminiscence.”
In “automatic mode,” Cindy underwent “this vaginal exam and an anal exam.” “We have just suffered a rape, so we are not in a normal state, we are almost closer to that because everything we have just experienced was violent,” she recalls before emphasizing: “ The doctor has to be attentive and that was the case for me, so it went well. She didn’t add any more.” The step was even useful: “I had occasional amnesia, so after the examination, the doctor confirmed the act of penetration, there were indeed lesions. It was the awareness of what had just happened, it almost relieved me. » Indeed, when it is over “the person can breathe and breathe, the apprehension diminishes because we have worked with gentleness and kindness”, assures the head of the UMJ of Nantes.
Our file on sexual violence
Thus, if they are not police officers, forensic doctors “necessarily think about the investigation because the samples can have a significant impact”, notes Renaud Clément. And when the expert finds a trace of the attacker, “it’s a satisfaction because we provide an element of proof in the procedure”.
An element which, however, will not have weighed in Cindy’s case. Despite DNA being found and injuries noted, “the complaint was dismissed and the police requested the destruction of the documents” collected during the examination, she asserts before exhaling: “this is why the stories of violence sexual relations are not progressing. Cindy is far from alone in this situation. Between 2012 and 2021, 86% of complaints filed for sexual violence were dismissed.
