FM9.1-4,FM14.17 | Child Abuse, Torture & Human Rights — Glossary

Non-accidental injury in infants characterised by the triad of subdural haematoma, retinal haemorrhage, and metaphyseal/posterior rib fractures; also called Caffey's syndrome.

Eponymous term for Battered Baby Syndrome, named after John Caffey who first described the characteristic injury pattern in 1946.

Statutory body under JJ Act 2015 responsible for receiving reports of children in need of care and protection and ordering appropriate interventions.

Highly specific fracture of the infant metaphysis caused by traction-torsion forces during shaking or forceful grabbing; also called 'corner fracture' or 'bucket handle' fracture.

Istanbul Protocol four-level language for medicolegal opinion: 'consistent with,' 'highly consistent with,' 'not consistent with,' and 'neither confirms nor excludes' — the examiner establishes evidential consistency, not legal guilt.

Death occurring while a person is in the custody of a state agency (police, prison, armed forces); requires NHRC notification within 24 hours, mandatory post-mortem examination, and investigation under IPC 304 or 302.

Supreme Court of India (1997) guidelines in D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal; established specific requirements for arrest and detention to prevent custodial violence, including medical examination every 48 hours and arrest memo; binding under Article 21.

Torture method using electric shocks; leaves characteristic small (1–2 cm), circular, punched-out entry wounds in sensitive areas; may also leave depigmented scars at healed sites.

Torture method involving beating of the soles of the feet; produces deep plantar fascia injury, metatarsal periosteal reaction, and difficulty weight-bearing, typically without visible skin marks — a diagnostic trap.

The cornerstone of the forensic diagnosis of child abuse: a caregiver-provided history that cannot account for the observed injuries given the child's developmental stage and the biomechanics of the alleged mechanism.

Indian Penal Code Section 330: voluntarily causing hurt to extort confession or to compel restoration of property; applies to custodial interrogators who use violence.

UN Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1999); the international gold standard for forensic documentation of torture.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015; requires reporting of children in need of care and protection to Child Welfare Committees; works in tandem with POCSO.

Standardised report prepared by the examining doctor documenting history, physical examination, psychological assessment, special investigations, and a structured opinion using Istanbul Protocol consistency language; submitted to court, NHRC, and provided to the survivor.

Blue-grey birthmarks over the sacrum and buttocks, common in Indian and Asian children; must not be recorded as bruises — an important differential in child abuse assessment.

National Human Rights Commission of India, established under the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993; receives custodial death reports within 24 hours and investigates human rights violations.

NHRC guidelines requiring two medical examinations per day for persons in police custody, pre- and post-custody examinations, video recording of interrogation, and mandatory post-mortem with 24-hour notification on custodial death.

The preferred contemporary term for physical child abuse, emphasising the absence of an accidental cause for the observed injuries.

Inherited collagen disorder causing brittle bones; must be formally excluded in suspected child abuse by clinical features (blue sclerae, dentinogenesis imperfecta) and genetic testing.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012; applies to victims below 18 years; Section 19 mandates reporting by all persons including doctors; Section 21 penalises failure to report.

Psychiatric disorder following exposure to severe traumatic events; in torture survivors characterised by hyperarousal, re-experiencing (flashbacks, nightmares), and avoidance — a mandated component of the Istanbul Protocol psychological assessment.

Indian statute establishing the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and State Human Rights Commissions; grants NHRC authority to inquire into complaints of violations of human rights, including custodial torture.

Haemorrhage on the retina; in Shaken Baby Syndrome, bilateral, multi-layered, extending to the periphery — this pattern is highly specific for non-accidental rotational injury.

Variant of non-accidental injury caused by violent repetitive shaking; generates rotational acceleration-deceleration forces that tear bridging veins and cause bilateral retinal haemorrhages.

Complete radiological series of all bones (skull, thorax, long bones, pelvis, hands, feet) performed as standard of care in suspected physical child abuse.

Chronic persistent pain that continues after physical healing of torture injuries; a documented psychological and neurophysiological sequela of systematic torture, requiring specialist pain management.

Designated police unit under POCSO Act 2012 to receive and investigate reports of offences against children.

Collection of blood in the subdural space between dura mater and arachnoid, caused by tearing of bridging veins; bilaterally in Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Severe physical or mental suffering intentionally inflicted by or with the acquiescence of a public official, as defined by UNCAT 1984; requires both severity of suffering and state-actor involvement.

United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984); defines torture and obligates state parties to criminalise it; India has not formally ratified UNCAT as of 2024.