Characterizing Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Child Sexual Abuse in Mexico City Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article titled "A Combination of Crime Theories to Characterize Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Child Sexual Abuse in Mexico City Before, During, and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic" presents a compelling analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child sexual abuse (CSA) in Mexico City. The authors effectively combine multiple crime theories, including Lifestyle-Routine Activity Theory, Crime Pattern Theory, and Social Disorganization Theory, to examine the spatiotemporal patterns of CSA before, during, and after the pandemic. However, the article could be improved by addressing the study's limitations more explicitly. The authors acknowledge the underreporting of sexual abuse, especially during the pandemic, but they could further discuss the potential impact of this underreporting on the findings. Additionally, the article could benefit from a more in-depth discussion of the implications of the findings for prevention and intervention efforts.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors .1. Provvide detailed explanation of generating poverty percentages . Also, clarify how poverty percentages were calculated based on various factors, specifying the methods and weights used. 2. What is the significance of calculating Local Moran I instead of Global Moran I?  3. Provide justification for the formation of clusters/hotspots. Explain that the clusters or hotspots formed are identified using the spatial statistical method Local Moran I, which determines that the high values are spatially correlated rather than merely above the mean values. 4. Validate the clusters/hotspots formed using statistical tests. This will ensure that the hotspots are statistically significant and not due to random chance. 5.Include the relevant studies such as An Application of Scan Statistics in Identification and Analysis of Hotspot of Crime against Women in Rajasthan, India; Spatial Analysis of Multivariate Factors Influencing Suicide Hotspots in Urban Tamil Nadu 6. In lines 226 and 239, instead of using (top level of Figure 3) and (bottom level of Figure 3) use Figure 3(a) and Figure 3(b). 7. Give justification for the second graph in Figure 3(b) which illustrates age-related patterns in child abuse cases, with specific attention to the mean age of females as 30.

Author Response

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Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Comments:

1- I think you can remove "A Combination of Crime Theories to Characterize" from the paper title. This title pertains to theoretical discussions that are not extensively addressed in your research. Your work is data-driven and theoretical discourse is needed for qualitative studies.

2- In my opinion, you should measure Moran's I using the global Moran's I statistic and present it in your text. Then, you can apply Local Moran's I as you did. This means you should first measure global autocorrelation before proceeding with the local analysis.

3- I believe all the maps used are unsuitable. Please use GeoDa to create Local Moran's I cluster maps with a standard legend, as the current maps are not readable.

4- I believe the results section can be enhanced. You have not sufficiently addressed the relationship between the subject and the socio-economic characteristics mentioned in the method and other sections. There are various methods to represent these spatial relationships, such as using Bivariate Moran's I.

Thank you

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.docx