FORENSİC ANTHROPOLOGİCAL APPROACH TO SKELETAL TRAUMAS IN CHILD ABUSE CASES

Authors : Özlem Mehder

Pages : 20-29

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Publication Date : 2019-12-13

Article Type : Review

Abstract :Objective: Child abuse is an important issue frequently encountered in forensic cases. In this context, skeletal findings are also used in the evaluation of physical evidences. The involvement of forensic anthropologists in the analysis of physical evidence of child abuse also contributes to the work of other experts working in this field. For the examination of the findings of the abuse in the skeleton, forensic osteology knowledge which is one of the main sources of forensic anthropology is needed. This study aims to emphasize the importance of forensic anthropological perspectives in the evaluation of physical findings of child abuse. Material and Method: This study analyzes both preliminary and current research and reveals how forensic anthropological approaches can be used to evaluate physical child abuse findings. A compilation study was carried out by evaluating the available sources on the subject. Results and Conclusion: Forensic anthropologists specializing in bone development, trauma and fracture types define whether changes in the skeleton and damages are related to abuse. As in most areas, the use of interdisciplinary approaches in cases where child abuse is evaluated increases the reliability of the results obtained. Therefore, different disciplines including forensic anthropology should be used in child abuse researches.
Keywords : Child Abuse, Forensic Anthropology, Human Osteology, Skeletal Traumas, Bone Fractures, Maltreatment