This document discusses infant death and child abuse. It outlines natural and unnatural causes of infant death, including prematurity, infections, and accidental injuries during labor. Criminal causes include strangulation, poisoning, and head injuries. Child abuse is defined as harmful or offensive contact or communication that humiliates, shames or frightens a child. Types of child abuse include physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. Battered baby syndrome results from repetitive non-accidental violence by parents or guardians, often due to stress, lack of nurturing skills, immaturity or anger issues. Common injuries in abused children include unexplained bruises in various stages of healing, burns, fractures and neurological issues like retinal hemorrhaging. A diagnosis

1. Dr. Kaleem Khan
Assistant Professor
Forensic Medicine
GFIMSR
INFANTICIDE & CHILD ABUSE

2. “So long as little children are
allowed to suffer, there is no
true love in this world”
Duncan

3. INFANT DEATH

4. NATURAL CAUSES
Prematurity
Birth trauma
Neonatal infection
Post maturity
Pre-ecclamptic toxemia
Congenital malformation
Intrapartum asphyxia
ABO and Rh-incompatibility
Early separation of placenta
SIDS

5. UNNATURAL CAUSES
Accidental
Perinatal
Injuries to Mother
Prolonged Labor
Prolapsed Cord or Pressure on Cord
Twisting of Cord Around Neck or Knots of The Cord
Death of Mother

6. Postnatal
Suffocation
Precipitate labor

7. Criminal causes
Act of Commission
Strangulation
Poisoning
Smothering
Head injury
Concealed punctured wound
Twisting of neck
Burning
Drowning
Cut throat injury

8. Act of Omission or Neglect
Failure to
Proper assistance during labor
Clear air passage
Tie cord
Exposure to heat/cold
Proper food

9. CHILD ABUSE
Defined as causing or permitting of any harmful or offensive
contact to a child’s body and/or any communication or
transaction which humiliates shames or frightens a child.

10. Types of Child Abuse
physical abuse
sexual abuse
emotional abuse
neglect

11. Battered Baby Syndrome
Definition
A child who has received repetitive physical injuries as a
result of non accidental violence produced by a parent or a
guardian.

12. Causes
Stress, including the
stress of caring for children, or
the stress of caring for a child with a disability,
special needs, or
difficult behaviors
Lack of nurturing qualities necessary
for child care
Immaturity: a disproportionate number of
parents who abuse their children are teenagers

13. Difficulty controlling anger
Personal history of being abused
Isolation from the family or community
Physical or mental health problems, such as depression
and anxiety
Alcohol or drug abuse
Personal problems such as
marital conflict,
 unemployment, or
financial difficulties.
Unwanted child
Illigitimate child
Female child

14. INJURIES
unexplained bruises (in various stages of healing)
welts, human bite marks, bald spots
unexplained burns, especially cigarette burns or immersion burns
unexplained fractures, lacerations or abrasions
swollen areas
evidence of delayed or inappropriate treatment for injuries

15. Soft Tissue Injuries
Bruises on face, lips, mouth, torso, back, buttocks, thighs
Especially in various stages of healing
Degree of bruising is greater than expected for the activity level
of the child.
Butterfly shaped bruises
Bald patches on scalp

16. CNS
Throwing
Dropping
Altered mental status
Unresponsiveness
Coma
Convulsion
Focal neurological deficit

17. EYES
Retinal hemorrhage
Lens displacement
Visceral injuries
Spleen
Liver
Shock
Burn
Cigarette
scalds

18. Skeletal injuries
Transverse fracture
Impacted fracture
Spiral fracture
Metaphysial chip fracture
Subperiostial hematoma
Fractures of long bones
Rib fracture ( string of beads)

19. Diagnosis
Nature of injury
Delay in seeking medical treatment
Recurrent injuries
Radiological manifestation

20. Child Abuse cont……..
Sexual abuse
Inappropriate sexual behavior with child
Emotional abuse( verbal/mental or psychological)
Neglect ( physical, educational or emotional)

21. Bruises

22. Abnormal Bruising Patterns

23. Abdominal Trauma

24. Massive Bruising

25. Broken Teeth

26. Mouth Trauma

27. Scald Burns

28. Eye Trauma

29. Retinal Hemorrhage

30. Skull x-ray – multiple “egg shell” fractures

31. CT scan of skull

32. CT of Brain

33. Chest X-ray

34. X-ray of Femur

35. The shaken infant
Seen in very young children (less than 1 year). can
result from very rapid shaking of an infant
Most perpetrators of such abuse are males.
Intracranial haemorrhages,
Retinal haemorrhages and
Chip fractures of the child’s extremities

36. Corporal Punishment
• In many, it is a significant phenomenon in
schools.
• Corporal punishment of children in the
form of
•Hitting,
•Punching,
•Kicking Or
•Beating.

37. BruisesBruises

38. BurnsBurns

39. Suspicious FracturesSuspicious Fractures

40. Thank You