Analysis of the Maternal Filicide in Terms of Forensic Medicine in Turkey: A Clinical Research.

INTRODUCTION In the literature, 15% of the victims of homicide consists of children under 16 years of age; children under the age has been proved that they have the maximum risk. The vast majority of the victims were killed by their mothers. Thus, if mothers are the perpetrators of crime child murders are discussed in different ways, so it is conceptualized under the name of maternal filicide in the literature. This study has been performed for, in Turkey, women who killed their own children between 0-6 years old, victims of crimes, and to determine features of crime regarding on forensic medicine, eventually in order to provide a basis for taking necessary precautions and measures. METHODS This research includes 74 reports of maternal filicide cases came to IV. Board of Specialization at the Council of Forensic Medicine in Istanbul, Ministry of Justice of Republic of Turkey between 1996-2006 years. In the light of data came from these reports, the socio-demographic characteristics of mothers who attempted filicide and children who were killed, and crime occurrence methods and mothers' criminal legal responsibility were examined. RESULTS Mothers, suspected of the filicide crime, are often at a young age, and did not desire pregnancy, 73 of mother's do not have criminal history, and 48 of mothers confessed the crime. Found that 71 of child victims are biological kids, 38 of them were killed around age, and 20 of them were girls, 35 of them were boys. The study group, seven of defendants killed or attempted to kill more than one child at the same time. The majority of mothers committed the crime during the daylight. When filicide methods were examined strangling or throwing up the child from higher were seen the most. The majority of mothers committed crime wiıthout weapon or other objects, just by their hands. Based on decisions of IV. Board of Specialization, no significant difference was observed between the the mothers with criminal liability and mothers with non-criminal liability. CONCLUSION In this study, important data procured from the demographic characteristics of the mothers, findings on conditions during the crime and the method of the crime, and mothers' psychosocial stressors, but it has been discerned that this data is limited to define the crime of filicide. At the end of the study, besides studied the parameters that directed people to commit this crime, other factors, like mental status and/or motives should be probed.