Violence against children: A review of cases at a forensic anthropology unit, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

South Africa is experiencing a scourge of violence against women and children, with alarming levels of violence, and as such, juvenile cases are sometimes encountered in a forensic anthropological setting. The aim of this research was to assess the cases of juveniles (under 20 years) presenting at the Human Variation and Identification Research Unit (HVIRU) for a 6-year period (2016-2022), in order to assess patterns and types of cases referred. A total of 19 cases were assessed, of which 10 were 16-20 years old, 3 between the ages of 5 and 15 years and 6 less than 5 years old at the time of death. Of the 14 children with known sex, 12 were female with features suggesting that they fell prey to sexual violence. Many of the individuals were either known (and referred for trauma analysis) or identified following investigation. Of the 19 juveniles, 11 (58 %) had evidence of perimortem trauma (sharp and/or blunt), attesting to the violent nature of their deaths. Two cases had both sharp and blunt force trauma, of which one is a possible case of dismemberment. The remains of two individuals showed signs of perimortem burning, which may or may not be related to the cause of death. Three individuals had signs of antemortem (healed) trauma, which may suggest a longer period of abuse. Five of the individuals showed signs of disease - two had cribra orbitalia, while two others had various porous lesions indicative of chronic disease or malnutrition. One individual had advanced osteomyelitis, suggesting a natural cause of death. Some of these cases had unusual trauma and pathology, highlighting the contribution of forensic anthropologists.

Keywords: Child abuse; Forensic anthropology; Skeletal pathology; Trauma.