Sexual assault and murder of a 3 year old female child: A case report

Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse which includes sexual activities like indecent exposure, child grooming etc. It is not only the physical violation but also violation of faith and reliability of the child. Such cases are commonly seen at places where childcare or child labor is involved, such as schools, crèches, factories etc; the relatives, close friends or caretakers being the most common perpetrators. The prevalence of child sexual abuse in the world has been estimated to be 19.7% for females and 7.9% for males. However, in our society, majority of these cases are never reported due to the social stigma being invariably attached to it.

We present a case of a three years old female child who was brutally strangulated after penetrative sexual assault by an "uncle". The deceased sustained multiple injuries all over the body; lacerations, bite marks and contusions over the thigh, labia majora, vagina and anal canal. Such a case, according to us, is a rare occurrence.