Neonaticide, Infanticide and Child Homicide

Abstract

A total population study of neonaticide, infanticide and child homicide is reported. There are seven defineable syndromes of unlawful child killing which include: neonaticide, infanticide, non-accidental injury, the deprivation-starvation syndrome, euthanasia, killing of family members followed by the suicide of the killer, and child murder. 49 such cases are reported from a base population of 2 million people, over a 10-year period of investigation. The syndromes of neonaticide and non-accidental injury each contribute some 20 per cent of cases in the full spectrum of unlawful child killing. 18 cases of fatal non-accidental injury were reported over this time. With modern crisis intervention facilities, standard hospital rules for the management of acute cases of non-accidental injury, and co-ordinated child abuse centres, approximately 2 per cent only of non-accidental injury cases should come to a fatal conclusion.

Recent advances: Paediatrics I: Infancy and early childhood

“…Deaths from child abuse have been reduced in some centres, but the overall rate of reporting of suspected child abuse continues to rise in all centres where better surveillance systems have been incorporated, recognising the different syndromes of unlawful child killing 30. Hundreds of cases of child abuse deaths have appeared in the literature of the past two years from Europe, Asia, Australasia, and the United States 31 32 33…”

Maternal filicide: a reformulation of factors relevant to risk

“…This classification has been applied in similar series of police or prison records internationally (Wilkey et al, 1982;Cheung, 1986;Korbin, 1989;Somander and Rammer, 1991). Bradford (1987, 1990) have applied this structure to a smaller, more intensively studied clinical sample.…”

Cinq cas de néonaticide au Québec

“…Il existe depuis Resnick (1969) une tradition de classification selon divers critères. Les gestes néonaticides forment une catégorie précise dans plusieurs systèmes de classification (Alder et Baker, 1997 ;Bourget et Bradford, 1990 ;Cheung, 1986 ;d'Orban, 1979 ;Rohde et al, 1998 ;Sadoff, 1995 ;Somander et Rammer, 1991 ;Vanamo et al, 2001 ;Wilkey et al, 1982). Le critère le plus important pour définir cette catégorie est que l'enfant soit âgé de moins de 24 heures au moment du passage à l'acte.…”

“…Le critère le plus important pour définir cette catégorie est que l'enfant soit âgé de moins de 24 heures au moment du passage à l'acte. Quelques auteurs ajoutent des critères supplémentaires comme le fait de cacher la grossesse (Somander et Rammer, 1991 ;Wilkey et al, 1982) ou l'accouchement (Somander et Rammer, 1991). Le portrait dépeint par plusieurs et l'utilisation d'une catégorie « néonaticide » dans certains systèmes de classification sous-entendent un profil similaire de mères néonaticides.…”