Clinical and Medico-Legal Epidemiological Aspects of Domestic Violence against Women in Bangui (Central African Republic): About 150 Cases

Abstract

Objective: evaluate domestic violence among women; identify the resulting injuries and the legal consequences. Methods: This was a 12-month cross-sectional study (From January to December 2017) of victims of domestic violence who were seen in the emergency room of Bangui Hospital Centres or who filed a complaint during the study period. All female victims of domestic violence with injuries requiring medical and surgical care had been retained. The data was entered and processed by the Epi info software. The Chi-squared test was used to compare significance level means at 0.05. Results: A total of 150 victims were included. Their average age was 29 years (range: 16 and 53 years). The length of conjugal life averaged 7.7 years (range: 1 and 32 years). The types of violence caused were psychological (68%), physical (99.3%), economic (51.3%), verbal (65.3%) and sexual (12.1%). The spouse's alcoholism was found in 49.3% of cases. In 56.7% of cases, the lesions observed were benign. They were ocular in 22.7%. Fractures were observed in 8% of cases. There were 7.3% dental lesions and 5.3% penetrating wounds. In 86% of couples, violence was recurrent. The perpetrator's low intellectual level was associated with the severity of the injuries. The injuries resulted in a total incapacity for work (ITT) of less than 21 days in 46.7% of victims and more than 21 days in 10.6%. Out-of-court Settlement was the settlement method observed in 52% of victims. A complaint was filed in 48% of cases, of which only 30.6% will have a judicial follow-up with conviction of the aggressors and the 69.4% have remained unanswered. The presence of ITT of more than 21 days and abortion are the reasons for recourse to justice. Conclusion: Domestic violence is a phenomenon in Bangui. The resources made available for the care of victims and for the prediction of the phenomenon remain insufficient.