Gender Relations in a Refugee Camp: A Case of Chechens Seeking Asylum in the Czech Republic

This article aims to give an account of how refugees' familyrelations are constructed in exile. It is based on fieldworkconducted among Chechen asylum seekers living in a refugee campin the Czech Republic in April 2004. It argues that althoughtraditional norms defining women's and men's position in Chechenfamilies have often been transgressed in the actual experiencesof men and women in situations of emergency such as war, flightand life in the camp, they remain relatively unchanged at thelevel of refugees' ideal notions of femininity and masculinity.It also shows that the environment of the refugee camp provides,on the one hand, some opportunities for the increase of women'spower in the family and men's involvement in childcare and householdduties. But on the other hand, the assistance in the camp isbased on an undiversified and gender-blind perception and constructionof refugees as passive objects of aid, and latently sustainsgendered violence.     

Ethical issues in international biomedical research: an overview

Human subjects research has been the focus of numerous controversies over the years. The dilemma lies between the potential harm to individuals who participate in research and the knowledge to be gained from the research study that might benefit society. When research is conducted in developing countries by researchers and sponsors from the United States and other industrialized countries, differences in history, culture, politics, wealth, and power between the countries give rise to unique challenges. In this Article, the author identifies several ethical issues to be considered when research is conducted in developing countries and provides the legal and ethical framework for their resolution.     

Infanticide in Malaysia: two case reports and a review of literature

In a strict and conservative society like Malaysia, the number of cases of infanticide has continued to occur. The authors present two typical cases of infanticide in Malaysia. Case 1 concerned a body of a fully mature newborn fetus disposed in a rubbish bin. The head was traumatically amputated by the rubbish truck's compactor. The umbilical cord was still attached to the body, with no reddening around the insertion. The severed neck showed features consistent with post-mortem amputation. The significant finding was expanded crepitant lungs, which floated in water. The histology of the lungs showed expanded alveoli. It was concluded that the baby had been born alive, but no cause of death could be elicited. Case 2 concerned a decomposed mature newborn found in a scrub forest. The internal organs showed advanced putrefaction, the lungs being collapsed, congested, and hemorrhagic, typical of decomposed lungs. No conclusion could be made about the state of birth or the cause of death because of the putrefied state of the body. The two cases illustrate the typical cases and problems faced by pathologists locally and probably elsewhere in the world. Most of the bodies are found in a putrefied state. Pathologists have to ascertain not only maturity and live birth but also the cause of death, which may be very subtle or masked by putrefaction. The problems of diagnosis of live birth are discussed.