Sexual Abuse and Murder of a Minor Girl: A Case Study

Abstract

Child sexual abuse is a common and a serious public health problem in every society. It not only leaves a permanent scar on the mind and the body of the victim, but also put her entire family into shame and humiliation. The majority of sexual assault cases is never reported to avoid social stigma and the number of reported sexual assault is the only tip of the iceberg. We present a case of a victim who died from smothering after sexual assault, sustained lacerated injury over the posterior wall of the vagina at its lower part including perineum, hymen and labia minora of both sides. There were multiple injuries all over the body. We attempt to highlight a case of rape murder complex, which is of rare occurrence in the semiurban regions of West Bengal, India