Quality assessment of perinatal and infant postmortem examinations in Turkey

An autopsy examination is important in identifying the cause of death and as a means of auditing clinical and forensic practice; however, especially in perinatal and infantile age groups determining the cause of death leads to some difficulties in autopsy practice. In this study, 15,640 autopsies recorded during the years 2000-2004 in the Mortuary Department of the Council of Forensic Medicine were reviewed. Autopsy findings of 510 cases between 20 completed weeks of gestation and 1 year of age were analyzed retrospectively. The quality of each necropsy report was assessed using a modification of the system gestational age assessment described by Rushton, which objectively scores aspects identified by the Royal College of Pathologists as being part of a necropsy. According to their ages, the cases were subdivided into three groups. Intrauterine deaths were 31% (158 cases), neonatal deaths were 24% (123 cases), and infantile deaths were 45% (229 cases) of all cases. Scores for the quality of the necropsy report were above the minimum acceptable score with 44% in intrauterine, 88% in neonatal and infantile deaths.     

Manhood Deprived and (Re)constructed during Conflicts and International Prosecutions: The Curious Case of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Prosecutor v. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta et al.</Emphasis>

Recent case law on sexual violence crimes heard before the ad hoc international criminal tribunals and courts, that interpret them in connection with ethnic conflict, raises the question of which acts can be defined as sexual violence. The International Criminal Court (ICC), in the situation of Kenya, does not regard acts of forced nudity, forcible circumcision and penile amputation as sexual violence when they are motivated by ethnic prejudice and intended to demonstrate the cultural superiority of one tribe over another. The Court argues that not every act of violence that targets parts of the body commonly associated with sexuality should be considered an act of sexual violence. This recent interpretation of what counts as sexual violence provides another example of the complicity of international criminal law institutions in the ongoing construction process of female subordination. The ICC, in the Kenya situation, implicitly confirms the mutilation of female agency by interpreting penile amputation as a kind of power game between males, and by instrumentalizing the male sexual organ as an indicator of masculinity and manhood.     

The UN's response to the underlying causes of the Arab Spring before and after the eruption of events: a critical assessment of the UN's pursuit of its core values and purposes

This article aims to assess whether the UN is effectively pursuing its core values and purposes, focusing on the Arab Spring and UN efforts in the MENA region. It examines how the UN responded to the long-standing causes of the Arab Spring uprisings, both before and after their eruption. After linking the conflict resolution literature with the literature on the root causes of the Arab Spring uprisings, the article surveys UN efforts between 1994 and 2017 regarding human development, democratization, human rights, conflict prevention and peacebuilding, alongside the resolutions of relevant UN bodies. This comprehensive survey of the activities of the UNDP, UN human rights machinery, human security apparatuses, and the General Assembly and Security Council suggests that the UN was limited in promoting its core values democratic governance and human rights, which could have addressed the long-standing root causes of the Arab Spring. The article concludes that the UN's limitations, stemming from its non-interference principle also paved the way for power politics, external intervention and instability in the region.     

Maternal death due to non-traumatic fat embolism

The aim of this report is to document a case of non-traumatic fat embolism (NTFE) and to address the need for considerition of fat embolism in suspicious deaths resulting from respiratory distress in the postpartum period. A 28-years-old woman autopsied at the Morgue Department of the Council of Forensic Medicine is included to the study. This female became unconscious and developed respiratory distress 4 h after delivery, and this was followed by respiratory arrest. External examination revealed resuscitation marks and normal postmortem changes. Light microscopy revealed massive fat embolization involving most of the alveolar capillaries on several sections. Only in one particular area was a bone marrow embolus. Pathological diagnosis of the lung was diffuse pulmonary fat embolism. There was no evidence of other organ involvement with emboli. Other visceral organs showed no striking findings other than mild congestion. The cause of death was considered to be respiratory insufficiency resulting from severe fat embolism of the lungs.     

POLICYMAKERS’ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT PEASANT SOCIETY: MYTH OR REALITY?

Referring to studies of peasant society and behavior and utilizing information from field research conducted in Turkey, this article examines assumptions national administrators make about rural areas and peasants in the formulation and the implementation of rural development programs. It is observed that national administrators tend to: 1) think of villages in terms of stereotypes which may bear little relationship to those which are targets of policies; 2) treat villages as undifferentiated clusters whereas many programs may produce different consequences for different segments of village society; 3) formulate programs without substantive familiarity w i t h the field; 4) be concerned with only those consequences of policies in which they are interested, whereas others may in fact determine the chances of success or failure of projects; 5) explain failure of peasants to behave in expected directions as being irrational, whereas the lattersl behavior may serve their purposes quite well. It is argued that the modification of these assumptions, which necessitate greater familiarity with peasant thinking, behavior, and the characteristics of village society on the part of administrators, would serve to improve the chance of success of rural development programs.