Child homicide in northern Tunisia: a retrospective study of forensic autopsy cases

Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences

Meriem Grayaa¹  Rihem Kouada¹  Ikram Kort¹  Yomn Naceur¹  Olfa Bekir¹  Mohamed Allouche²  Meriem Gharbaoui² 

[1]Department of Forensic Medicine, Charles Nicolle University Hospital, 138, Boulevard April 9th, 1938, 1006, Tunis, Tunisia

[2]Department of Forensic Medicine, Charles Nicolle University Hospital, 138, Boulevard April 9th, 1938, 1006, Tunis, Tunisia

[3]Faculty of Medicine, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia

关键词: Child;    Homicide;    Autopsy;    Tunisia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41935-021-00247-1

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAs far as we know, no previous research has investigated child homicide in Tunisia. In this context, our study was carried out to analyze the epidemiological and medico-legal characteristics of child homicide occurring in northern Tunisia over a 17-year period.ResultsEighty-seven cases were collected, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.4. The mean age of the victims was 12.6 years for both sexes. We found that 56.3% of the cases were aged between 15 and 18 years. The majority of deaths under 15 years of age occurred at home as a result of intrafamilial homicide. Victims aged more than 15 years were more likely to be assaulted outside the home by a non-family member.The most frequent method of homicide was sharp force (39%) affecting mostly the heart and the lung, followed by blunt trauma (25%), which affected mainly the head. Sexual assault was diagnosed at autopsy in six victims (6.9%).ConclusionsThe study offers available data concerning the patterns of child homicide in northern Tunisia and may help to implement preventive measures against this kind of crime.

【 授权许可】

CC BY