Citation

Veeresh MR. Journal of South India Medicolegal Association 2012; 4(1): 3-7.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Many women in developing countries are subjected to various forms of pain and suffering, more during the age in which they are more fertile and thrust with newer responsibilities at home. They are battered, bruised, mutilated and killed. Others are driven to commit suicide because of intolerable suffering. In the present study, 438 such cases of harassment to women of reproductive age (13-45 years) who visited the District Hospital, Belgaum, South India and KLE Society's Hospital, Belgaum, and medicolegal cases autopsied at the District Hospital, Belgaum from January to December, 2001 were studied. Among them, 36% were physically assaulted, 32.4% consumed poisons, 22.6% sustained burns, 4.1% met with accidents, 1.4% were sexually assaulted and 0.5% underwent criminal abortion. The victims mainly consisted of married women, those in the age group of 13-34 years, school-educated women and those belonging to class II socioeconomic status. Alcohol was the precipitating factor in 31% of cases. © 2012 South India Medico-Legal Association. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Poisoning; Assault; Sexual assault; Harassment; Unnatural death; Reproductive age