Metrics details. Despite the efforts of the governmental child protection programs, child fatalities due to maltreatment remain a serious problem in Arab countries. This retrospective study identified 87 as a total questionable child death QCD cases in Riyadh, the capital of Kingdome of Saudi Arabia. Upon examination, child negligence was reported or observed in 5 cases. Most child fatalities are the result of natural or accidental causes. When a child dies unexpectedly, law enforcement investigators is called to determine whether there was any criminal activity involved.
If so, the incident was reported as a questionable child death QCD Walsh, Child fatalities related to maltreatment, abuse, and negligence occur worldwide. The detection and prevention of such crimes are the basic tenets underlying all child protective services Pritchard, In , UNICEF reported that children under the age of 15 die each year from abuse or neglect in 27 rich countries.
The lowest child fatality rates were found in Spain, Greece, Italy and Ireland. The rate of death in low- to middle-income countries was higher than in high-income countries. Africa had the highest homicide rate of children under the age of 5. The rate was higher for boys than girls World Health Organization, International data for child deaths from accidental and deliberate causes are not as robust as deaths from childhood diseases.
National laws and practices for the investigation, verification, and registration of such deaths vary widely, which impacts the accuracy and timeliness of the data Child killings in England and Wales, In Saudi Arabia, physical abuse represented the most common type of child maltreatment from to According to Dr. Saudi Arabian laws state that the examination after death should be performed when a hospital doctor or police officer suspects that the death was caused by criminal activity.
The doctor or police officer should describe the conditions e. Riyadh is the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau. Riyadh, composed of 19 governorates and 1 sub-governorate, is home to 7. Due to the before mentioned reason and to aid in monitoring, evaluating then reducing questionable child deaths, This study was designed to examine the QCD incidences, demographics, and medico-legal characteristics in Riyadh from November to October Eighty-seven cases of QCDs were included in this retrospective study.
