{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,18]],"date-time":"2025-09-18T10:37:06Z","timestamp":1758191826590,"version":"3.44.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]],"date-time":"2025-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1758067200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001826","name":"ZonMw","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["10480012120002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["10480012120002"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001826","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>In the Netherlands, reporting the death of a minor to a forensic physician has been legally required since 2010. Additionally, the Postmortem Evaluation of Sudden Death in Youth (PESUDY) procedure can be initiated for unexplained natural deaths.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This study assesses the reporting rate of deceased minors to forensic physicians, evaluates PESUDY submission rates, and explores reasons for declining PESUDY, under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) obligations.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Participants and setting<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This observational, retrospective study examined data on deceased minors in the Netherlands in 2022 and 2023.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Data were collected from forensic registration databases, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the PESUDY scientific committee. PESUDY submission rates were analyzed, along with reasons for declining the procedure.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The reporting rate of deceased minors to forensic physicians represented 69% in 2022 and 68% in 2023. The reporting rates for perinatal deaths and deaths outside this period were 47% and 96% in 2022, and 57% and 83% in 2023, respectively.\u00a0The submission rate of PESUDY-eligible cases was 66% in 2022 and 68% in 2023. The reasons for not pursuing PESUDY were parental refusal without explanation (nine cases), and religious reasons (three cases). In 40 cases, there were no reasons documented.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec006\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The reporting of deceased minors is not adhered to, with stagnating reporting rates. Additionally, the need for parental consent for post-mortem investigations hinders thorough examination, potentially obscuring cases of child abuse. This brings about nonconformity with the ECHR and CRC on the right to life.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0332741","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]],"date-time":"2025-09-17T17:34:57Z","timestamp":1758130497000},"page":"e0332741","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Does the Netherlands comply with national law and Article 2 of human rights concerning deceased minors?"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-2814-4670","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sophie C. T.","family":"van Rhenen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tess M.","family":"Wemeijer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"C\u00e9drique A. S.","family":"Gregoire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wilma L. J. M.","family":"Duijst","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0332741.ref001","article-title":"De Nederlandse naleving van internationale verplichtingen inzake Nader Onderzoek naar de Doodsoorzaak van Kinderen","volume":"49","author":"C Gregoire","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ned Tijdschr Voor Mensenrechten"},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref002","unstructured":"Factsheet \u201cProtection of Minors.\u201d European Court of Human Rights. 2024."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref003","unstructured":"Nencheva et al. v Bulgaria. European Court of Human Rights. Sect. 4, 48609\/06. 2023."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref004","unstructured":"Putte E, Rudolph M. Evaluatierapport NODOK-procedure ten behoeve van het Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport. UMCU, Ministerie van Volksgezondheid Welzijn en Sport; 2018. pp. 17. 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Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kindergeneeskunde (NVK), Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS); 2016."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"113780","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpeds.2023.113780","article-title":"A Systematic Approach to Evaluate Sudden Unexplained Death in Children","volume":"264","author":"AM Pries","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Pediatr"},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref019","unstructured":"NODOK procedure. In: Forensisch Medisch Genootschap [Internet]. [cited 10 Sep 2024]. Available from: https:\/\/www.forgen.nl\/thema\/2\/nodok-procedure"},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref020","unstructured":"Staatscourant. Ministerie van Volksgezondheid Welzijn en Sport; 2017."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref021","unstructured":"Civil Code (Netherlands), Art 1:245. 2002."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref022","unstructured":"Civil Code (Netherlands), Art 1:247. 2023."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref023","unstructured":"Burial and Cremation Act (Netherlands), Art. 2. 2015."},{"key":"pone.0332741.ref024","volume-title":"National childhood mortality database; sudden and unexpected deaths in infancy and childhood","author":"T Williams","year":"2022"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0332741","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]],"date-time":"2025-09-17T17:35:08Z","timestamp":1758130508000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0332741"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Max M.","family":"Houck","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0332741","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,17]]}}}