RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Human trafficking or contemporary slavery is the recruitment and transfer of people by force or deception for sexual, labour or other types of exploitation. Although the violence, abuse and deprivation that trafficking entails are a threat to the health of its victims, in Spain the clinical or forensic data available in this regard is scarce. At the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Catalonia (IMLCFC), a unit specialized in the forensic assessment of these victims was created. The objective of this work was to describe a series of forensic cases of trafficking victims. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Retrospective study of victims in judicial cases opened for an alleged crime of human trafficking registered in the IMLCFC until 06/30/2023. RESULTS: 57 different victims were registered. The majority were women (71.9%). The average age was 30.5 years (s.d. 10.31). All the victims were foreigners, mostly from Latin America (45.5%). The exploitation was mainly sexual (61.4%). There were some sociodemographic differences and in the conditions and consequences of trafficking between victims of sexual exploitation and the rest. Mental health problems were very common in all victims at the time of the assessment (87.5%). CONCLUSIONS: The consequences of trafficking on health, especially mental health, are notable and the forensic assessment of victims is valuable in judicial proceedings. It is necessary to deepen our knowledge of the phenomenon in our environment.
Assuntos
Vítimas de Crime , Tráfico de Pessoas , Humanos , Espanha , Feminino , Estudos Retrospectivos , Masculino , Tráfico de Pessoas/legislação & jurisprudência , Tráfico de Pessoas/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Vítimas de Crime/estatística & dados numéricos , Vítimas de Crime/legislação & jurisprudência , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto Jovem , Adolescente , Criança , Medicina Legal/legislação & jurisprudênciaRESUMO
POPULATION: Amerindian populations: Huastecos (n=97), Otomies de la Sierra (n=41), Otomies del Valle (n=40), and Tepehuas (n=13).
Assuntos
Cromossomos Humanos Y , Etnicidade/genética , Genética Populacional , Haplótipos , Sequências de Repetição em Tandem , Impressões Digitais de DNA , Frequência do Gene , Humanos , Masculino , México , Reação em Cadeia da PolimeraseRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study immediate (same day of the collision) and delayed (within 30 days of the collision) deaths due to traffic injuries in Catalonia (Spain) according to forensic sources and to assess the differences between the two kinds of deaths. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational study was conducted of all the traffic accident deaths registered in the Institute of Legal Medicine of Catalonia between January 1(st) 2005 and December 31(st) 2014. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS v.18.0 statistical package. Comparisons of proportions were based on the χ(2) test. RESULTS: During the study period, 4044 deaths due to traffic injuries were recorded. Deaths within 30 days included more women, minors, elderly people, and pedestrians than immediate deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Traffic injury deaths in the 30 days following a crash differ from immediate deaths.
Assuntos
Acidentes de Trânsito/mortalidade , Ferimentos e Lesões/mortalidade , Academias e Institutos , Adolescente , Adulto , Distribuição por Idade , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Medicina Legal , Mortalidade Hospitalar , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Distribuição por Sexo , Espanha/epidemiologia , Fatores de Tempo , Estatísticas Vitais , Ferimentos e Lesões/etiologia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The main mission of Spanish Institutes of Legal Medicine (ILMs) is to serve the justice system. We review the potential broader role of the work done by ILMs, with an emphasis on forensic pathology. The relevance of forensic information to increase the quality of mortality statistics is highlighted, taking into account the persistence of the low validity of the external causes of death in the Mortality Register that was already detected more than a decade ago. The new statistical form and reporting system for the deaths under ILMs jurisdiction, as introduced by the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística in 2009, are also described. The IMLs role in the investigation of the following mortality causes and of their determinants is reviewed in detail: traffic accidents, suicide, drugs of abuse, child deaths and sudden deaths. We conclude that an important public role of IMLs is emerging beyond their valuable service to the justice system, mainly through the gathering of data critical to assess and prevent several medical and public health and safety issues of great social impact and through their participation in epidemiologic research and surveillance.