Exposure to Genocide as a Risk Factor for Homicide Perpetration in Rwanda

A population-based case-control study was conducted to assess the relationship between genocide exposure and homicide perpetration in Rwanda. 

A sample of 150 homicide perpetrators who were charged with and confessed to having committed homicide between 1 May 2011 and 31 May 2013 and 450 controls were enrolled. Cases were matched to controls by neighborhood, age and sex. Socio-demographic, background and genocide-related information was collected from study subjects’ next of kin. Four characteristics of genocide exposure were: genocide survivor, genocide perpetrator, having lost a first-degree relative to genocide and having a first-degree relative convicted of genocide. 

We assessed the impact of each genocide-exposure variable using conditional logistic regression. Of the 150 cases, 124 (82.7%) were male and 26 (17.3%) were female. The mean age of the alleged homicide perpetrators was 33 years, with a peak in the age group 20-29 years (39.3%). After adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and past common criminal records, having a first-degree relative who had been convicted of genocide crimes was a significant predictor for homicide perpetration (odds ratio [OR] = 14.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6-129.4). Being a genocide perpetrator, a genocide survivor and having lost a first-degree family member to genocide were not identified as risk factors for homicide perpetration. 

In Rwanda, young people who experienced early exposure to trauma by witnessing their first-degree relatives’ active participation in the genocide, are more likely to commit homicide. Socio-economic and psychotherapeutic programs targeting this population group are needed to rehabilitate these young people for violent behavior change.

Purchase full article at:   http://goo.gl/JvCd0v

By:   Wilson Rubanzana, MD1,2, Bethany L. Hedt-Gauthier, PhD1,3, Joseph Ntaganira, PhD1, Michael D. Freeman, MedDr, PhD4,5,6

1. ¹University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kigali, Rwanda
2. ²Rwanda National Police, Forensic Medicine and Coordination Office of “Isange” One Stop Centers for Victims of Gender Based Violence and Victims of Child Abuse, Kigali, Rwanda
3. ³Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
4. ⁴Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
5. ⁵Umeå University, Sweden
6. ⁶Aarhus University, Denmark

1. Wilson Rubanzana, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Kicukiro, Kigali, P.O. Box 5229, Rwanda. Email: wrubanzana@nursph.org

 

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv_insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison_Health