Role of the Forensic Anthropologist

• Role of the Forensic Anthropologist

  •Identify patterns of injuries

  •Identify possible causes of injuries

  •Identify timings of injury

  •Identify injuries that have not received  medical treatment etc.
• To accurately attribute skeletal injuries to torture, several

  lines of evidence are used in combination:

  •Mechanism of injury

  •Documentation of the location, type, distribution/pattern, and

  recurrence of wounds

  •Estimation of whether or not the wounds present contributed to  the cause of death

  •Approximate timing of injuries

  •Reconstruction of the circumstances surrounding the injuries

  •Ruling out accidents and estimating the manner of injuries as  intentional or interpersonal violence

  •Context within which the victim was found.
• Types of Physical Torture

  •Blunt force

  •Positional

  •Crushing

  •Burning

  •Stabbing/cutting

  •Mutilation

  •Asphyxiation

  •Animals

  •Rape/sexual abuse

  •Psychological

  •Environmental

  •Drugs

  oMost torture does not involve any sophisticated equipment

  oMost injuries  commonly caused by kicks, punches and beatings
• Injuries related to torture

  •Soft tissue injuries

  •Psychiatric problems

  •Hard tissue injuries  (bones and teeth)
• Adapted from Rodriguez-Martin 2006

  
• Falaqa (falanga/bastinado)

  •Soles of the feet are beaten with a blunt object whilst feet are tied to a pole  and raised

  •Haemorrhage and oedema cause swelling of feet, may spread to lower

  legs and knees.

  •Thickening of plantar fascia, widening of heel fat pad, peripheral  neuropathy, scarring, pigmentation of soles of foot, instability of tarsal  bones, aseptic necrosis of metatarsals, malpositioning of the toes, rarely  fractures.
• Differential diagnosis

  Need to be able to separate out inflicted injuries from

  accidental injuries

  Inflicted:

  •Sternal fractures

  •Hands and feet

  •Parry fracture

  Accidental

  •Colles fracture

  •Clavicle

  •Humerus
• Other indicators

  •Indications of lack of  treatment or poor living  conditions

  •Osteomyelitis

  •Pseudoarthrosis

  •Bone necrosis

  •Post traumatic  osteoporosis

  •Osteoarthritis

  
• Other indicators of ill-treatment

  •Blindfolds

  •Position of bullet  holes/injury

  •Hands tied

  •Legs tied