Medico – Legal study of violence against female

number: 
3266
English
department: 
Degree: 
Imprint: 
Medicine
Author: 
Ban Sabeeh Alwan Al-saadi
Supervisor: 
Dr. Saad Kadhum Kareem
year: 
2013
Abstract:

Violence against women is an important public health and medico-legal problem.It has global significance regarding violation of human rights.Violence is an important risk factor related to ill health of women ,having far reaching consequences affecting physical, social,mental and reproductive health of victims.* The aims of this study :-To determine the pattern of fatal and non-fatal intentional injuries involving women and girls,age of victims,method used for violence and its percentage- To reveal the magnitude of domestic violence problem against women and girls including physical and sexual violence.*Method:-The study revealed that among total (82) cases,(47) cases were alive victims accounting about (57.31)% and (35) cases were dead victim accounting about(42.69)%.* Results:The study showed that 57.3% were alive subjects while 42.7% were dead victims. Regarding the alive cases, their mean age was 20.6 9.37 years with arrange between 9-15 years. Most of them were within the age group 10-20 years and 72.3% of them were unmarried.Illiteracy constitutes 57.4% of them. All of were referred as cases of violence directed to the genital area (sexual assault) but 72.3% were with no tear to the hymen.Two third of them were with single exposure and in 95.75% the perpetrator was stranger.In dead victims, the mean age 28.6 12.84 years with a range between 15-69 years. The highest percentage was in the age group 20-29 years and 69% were married. House wife constituted 85.7% of them and 45.7% were having primary school level of education only. Burn was the main type of injury constituting 71.4% and in71.4% of them multiple anatomical sites were involved in such injuries. In 65.71% were affected by sexual assault and in 69% of victims there were old hymen tears.Resafa side of Baghdad occupied the highest percentage retarding a live.In all cases blood tests for alcohol and durgs were negative.- Conclusion :- Violence was more common among alive female and highest in the third decade of life.majority were either with low level of education or having primary school level of education only . all of the alive females were sexually assaulted while burn was the main type of injury among the dead group all the perpetrators in the alive group were strangers while suicidal manner was seen in the dead group . the genital area was involved in the alive group while multiple anatomical sites affected in dead group . no role for alcohol or drugs in this study .