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Child abuse in Kuwait: problems in management
Wafa'a Al-Ateeqi1, Issa Shabani, Aida Abdulmalik
1Paediatric Departments, Al-Amiri Hospital and Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Kuwait. wafaakt@yahoo.com
Insights
Child abuse is present in Kuwait, with parents being the most common perpetrators. Management strategies require improvement, highlighting the need for better guidelines and legislation to address this issue.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Forensic Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Child abuse is a significant global health concern.
- Limited data exists on the prevalence and management of child abuse in Kuwait.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the extent of child abuse in Kuwait.
- To identify challenges in managing child abuse cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 60,640 pediatric medical records.
- Data collected from Al-Amiri and Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospitals (1991-1998).
Main Results:
- 16 cases of child abuse identified among 60,640 records.
- Parents were perpetrators in 75% of cases.
- Physical abuse was most common (13 cases), followed by sexual abuse (2 cases) and Munchausen syndrome by proxy (1 case).
- Physical abuse involved bruises, burns, intracranial hemorrhage, fractures, and cut wounds.
Conclusions:
- Child abuse is an existing problem in Kuwait, likely underreported.
- Current management practices are suboptimal.
- There is a critical need for improved legislation and management guidelines.
Objectives:
To explore the extent of child abuse in Kuwait and examine the difficulties associated with its management.
Subjects And Methods:
A retrospective analysis of the 60,640 medical records of children admitted to Al-Amiri and Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospitals, Kuwait, between 1991 and 1998 was done.
Results:
Of the 60,640 records, 16 children showed evidence of abuse. Of these, the perpetrator was a parent in 75% of the cases, which involved the following abuses: physical, 13; sexual, 2; and Munchausen syndrome by proxy in 1. Children with physical abuse had more than one type that included bruises (77%), burns (38%), intracranial haemorrhage (38%), fractures (23%) and cut wounds (15%). Seven of the children were returned to their biological parents, 7 were lost to follow-up and 2 died.
Conclusion:
Child abuse exists in Kuwait and is probably underreported. Management proceedings are not ideal and guidelines as well as legislation are needed.