Abstract

Background and Aims:
Child maltreatment is a major global public health concern. Non-accidental visceral injury (NAVI) is a type of injury that is deliberately inflicted on the human body, resulting in injury to internal organs, which is considered child abuse. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of NAVI and determine the characteristics of non-accidental injuries among children in Saudi Arabia (SA).

Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the National Family Safety Registry (NFSR), which consists of 62 child-protection centres among health sector in SA. A total of 30 children with NAVIs were registered in the NFSR from April 2017 to March 2022.

Results:
The children mean age was 6.5±4.7 years.There was a sharp increase in NAVI cases over the five-year period, particularly after 2020, from two cases per year in 2017 to nine cases in 2021. NAVI predominantly affected children aged 5-10 years (40.1%). Lung injury was the most common form of NAVI, accounting for 23.3% of the cases. As a consequence of NAVI, 2 of the victims has died and 7 of them had deteriorated health status.

Conclusions:
NAVI in children in SA is a significant problem. This study provides important information on the socio-demographic characteristics and injury patterns of children with NAVI. This information can help develop prevention and intervention strategies to reduce the incidence of NAVI among children in SA.

Key words: Child maltreatment, Non-accidental-visceral injuries, National Family Safety Registry, physical abuse, violence.