Forensic Pathology Unit, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
*Correspondence: Dr. O.P. Murty, Additional Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 10029, India. Phone: 00919868397155, 0091-11-26593274 (Office); Fax: 00911126588663, E-mail: dropmurty@yahoo.co.in, dropmurthy2006@hotmail.com
This paper discusses the patterns of fatal non-accidental injury among children in Malaysia relating to ethnic groups, age, sex, pattern of injuries, causative factors, and social econoniical background. This study was aimed to identify the causes of child abuse, the issues that could give rise to child abuse incidence, common sites that led to fatality and identification of party involved for these child abuse cases. The autopsy reports of the victims for last sixteen years were reviewed at UMMC.
A total of 23 cases of child abuse were land during this time span. It was noticed that the number of cases were increasing yearly with year 2005 having the most number of cases (4 cases). 82.61% of the victims were children under the age of 3 and there was no signrficant diference between the two genders in this study. Most victims were Malay (34.78%), followed by Chinese (30.43%), Indian (21 71%) and other ethnic groups (4.35%). Urban areas had the highest incidence (78.3%). Parents were the most common perpetrators (52.17%). 60.9% were brought dead. Most of death' were labeled as unascertained/others (43.48%). followed by cranial-cerebral injury (26.1%).
Results showed that 45.5% cases presented with bruises, and 45.5% cases presented with trauma in head and neck regions. In the central nervous system, hemorrhage and skull fracture were the two most common injuries.
In conclusion, this study supports previous researches in the field that a wide range of factors in the parental background, socio-economic and family environments affect the risk of child maltreatinent. It also supports that injuries to the central nervous system ware the main cause of death and bruises were the most significant external injuries in victims of child abuse. Separate section on a photographic representation of few cases from on hand experience of fatal and non-fatal child abuse, to make the study more educative.
Child Abuse, physical Injuries, Child neglect
