Criticità operative in merito alla gestione della violenza sessuale alla luce del D.P.C.M. 24 Novembre 2017

Violence against women is a violation of human rights. In this article, we discussed some critical issues related to the management of women victims ofsexual violence considering the New Italian National Guidelines contained in the D.P.C.M. of the 24^th of November 2011. Sexual violence is a very complicate traumatic event, which requires a multidisciplinary approach in order to meet the needs of women, which are not limited to the physical sphere; it is also opportune to consider the psychological aspects that the trauma brings with itself and, finally, those relating to the legal sphere. Despite the existence of numerous guidelines concerning the management of victims of violence in the emergency departments, protocols are not always respected, lhe observance of these protocols would allow an improvement in the management of cases of sexual violence, which would also be refected in a better outcome of the victim, both in medical and in legal terms. In order to be effectively observed, the Guidelines need an adequate preparation and continuous updating of the health personnel to whom these guidelines are addressed. lhe medical aspects we discuss in this article are the possible introduction, in the Emergency Department, of a Pink Code and the need to establish a "protected area" as a place of welcome where to perform, in a single moment, both medical treatment and forensic evaluation. In dealing with a woman victim of violence it is also necessary to pay attention to the psychological aspects of the event: the attitude of the various professional figures who deal with the woman (health personnel and police officers) should induce in the victim a perception of safety, listening and understanding. About the legal aspects we focus on the following issues: the privacy question, the importance of a correct chain of custody for the forensic findings, the woman consent and the judicial prosecution of the crime of sexual violence.