الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Children are not supposed to die. The death of a children is unnatural and always painful for people to accept . Cruelty to children has existed as long as humanity has existed. The way children are treated has always been a faithful mirror reflection of the level of progress in the civility of mankind. Deaths from childhood injury are a public health problem worldwide. Child death as a result of abuse and neglect is a tragic outcome that occurs in all nations of the world. The true incidence data of fatal child death in Egypt is unknown. The most accurate incidence data of such deaths have been obtained from countries where multi-agency death review teams analyze the causes of child fatalities, as it done in the United States and Australia. The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) reported an estimated 1,760 child fatalities in 2007. This translates to a rate of 2.35 children per 100,000 children in the general population. NCANDS defines ‘‘child fatality’’ as the death of a child caused by an injury resulting from abuse or neglect, or where abuse or neglect was a contributing factor. Child are the most vulnerable members of society for many reasons, including their dependency on the others, small size, and inability to defend themselves. It was also found that younger children were more likely to be victims of fatal child death.. The Manner of Death is based on the cause and circumstance. It must be listed on the death certificate as either, homicide, Suicide, Accidental, Natural and Undetermined cause. Accordingly, 89 cases were identified. A retrospective and prospective study was performed on all cases, their ages ranged from 0 up to 18 years. According to their ages, child were divided into 5 groups as follow: 0-2 m; >2 m - <5yrs ; >5yrs - <10 yrs; >10yrs - <15 yrs and >15 yrs -18 yrs. All cases were thoroughly reviewed from medico-legal authority records regarding the following data: age of victim, gender, factors related to deaths (type of injury and cause of death and injury) and the offender and his/her relation to the victim. Collected data will be tabulated and analyzed statistically. Results will be expressed in numbers and percentage. Results revealed the majority of perpetrators were unknown, followed by victim’s colleagues and neighbors. Neglect with no outward signs represented the majority of child deaths. Blunt trauma was the second cause of child deaths. The highest rate of child deaths was in newborns and early youth. Rural residents represented risk factors for child death. CONCLUSION: 1-The further development of health care for children and forensic systems can significantly contribute to the timely diagnosis and prevention of deaths in children. 2. Identification of high risk in all cases, proper appreciation of family problems and a strategy for the prevention and immediate intervention in the case of child mortality. 3. Post health departments post actual and be directed mainly towards the least educated population and the rural population and vulnerable households unstable. 4. Good communication and cooperation between pediatricians and general practitioners, forensic doctors and the judiciary ensure children’s rights. 5. Finally improvements in children’s health care system, and effective prevention, legislation, and cooperation between child protection organizations will have an important role in a reduction of child mortality. |