The woman for 9 years quietly “helped the corpse speak” and approached the truth about abuse cases

Autopsy is considered an “exclusive” profession for men. However, for 9 years now, Ms. Thanh has been attached to this industry with enthusiasm and high responsibility.

Be predestined with the profession

Before going to see Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh, SN 1991, nurse, technician of Forensic Center Nghe An province, we imagine that perhaps Thanh is a woman with many masculine and strong features. But contrary to that thought, this female technician has a small, beautiful body, a bright and kind face.

Talking about choosing this profession, Ms. Thanh said that from a young age she was passionate about reading detective stories and watching criminal films, so she also wanted to solve cases. However, a rather strange thing, she is passionate about action scenes but is very afraid of ghosts. In 2013, after graduating from nursing, she saw that the Forensic Center recruited a female nurse, Thanh thought this job was suitable for her, so she applied for it. This is also the first time the center recruits female nurses.

Assessor Can Quang Ha guides Ms. Thanh to analyze images from assessment cases.

On the first day Ms. Thanh went to work, the Forensic Assessment Center received information about the accident requiring forensic examination. “That day, Uncle Nguyen Quang Trung was holding the position of Director of the Center for Forensic Assessment. Uncle asked “There was a fatal accident, do you want to go to the autopsy?”. Surprised by that question, I quickly nodded in agreement. Although, I was a bit scared at the time. However, when I arrived at the scene, my mentality changed completely. The fear suddenly no longer exists, but instead is an obsession, pity for the fate of a person.

The pain of those who stay behind when they suddenly lose a loved one cannot be described in words. Since then, I promised myself to fulfill my responsibilities so that the truth could be revealed, so that the dead could close their eyes and their loved ones could feel some consolation,” recalled Thanh.

Thanh confided about her profession

Through that incident, Thanh overcame his fear and became more responsible and engaged in his work. Just like that, every time the Police Department Nghe An In need of the Forensic Center for assessment, Thanh volunteered to accompany him. Because according to her, only participating in practice will help her gain more skills and accumulate more experience. At first, her job was just to prepare tools, take photos, and record the examination process. “Thanks to the dedicated teaching of my colleagues, I have enough experience and bolder in the profession. And then, I was directly involved in the post-mortem examination by my superiors – “helping the corpse speak”, Ms. Thanh shared about her work.

The office of Thanh and the assessors and technicians at the Provincial Forensic Center is a general room, a room about 20m wide. In the room, there are 2 stone tables, with electricity, water, and full lighting designed specifically for autopsy and autopsy. If the average person saw this room, it would be less creepy and give goosebumps. However, this is an ideal environment for Thanh and his colleagues to do their work. Because it is not always the case that the autopsy is as fully equipped as in the room. When there was an accident and death of unknown cause, Thanh only carried the toolbox with him. Especially the cases that occur in rural and mountainous areas are even more deprived.

High responsibility to the profession

Whether the incident happened late at night or early in the morning, Ms. Thanh and her colleagues were always ready to go. 9 years in the profession, she does not remember how many times she performed the autopsy. However, each time the autopsy was performed, a sad story weighed heavily on her mind. Witnessing the cruel, pitiful and heartbreaking deaths of those who stayed behind, Ms. Thanh felt even more responsible for her profession.

“Perhaps the time working in Tuong Duong district was the biggest challenge for me. It was an autopsy in a remote village in Tuong Duong district, bordering Laos. The road to it has continuous bends that make the driver also have a hangover because of the feeling of motion sickness. Upon arrival, although very tired, the delegation needed to start work immediately. Because there was no other way, the victim was operated on right on the ground of his family. The family could only prepare a plank to conduct an autopsy. Meanwhile, in this place there is a shortage of many things, from water to supplies… For two hours, the examiners had to squat for surgery, and when standing up, their legs were numb. However, we have done our job.”

Ms. Thanh prepares tools for forensic examination

In addition to assisting in the forensic examination of corpses, Ms. Thanh’s main task is to receive documents, assist in forensic sex examination and assess injuries. What she feels most haunting is the cases of sexual abuse about children.

According to Ms. Thanh, each year the center performs about 50 cases of forensic sex examination. Talking about the mental pressure of these cases, it haunts many times more than other cases because of the immaturity and fear of the children. “Every time I hear about having to undergo a forensic examination related to a child being sexually abused, I feel very scared. They are too young to be fully aware of the mental and physical toll they have suffered. There are many cases where children have to go through a “strong psychological trauma”. Therefore, we must be careful and meticulous to come to the most accurate conclusion, helping the prosecution agency to objectively evaluate the incident. From that result, only to protect and reclaim justice for the victims,” ​​said Ms. Thanh.

As the person who directly guides Thanh, Doctor Can Quang Ha – an assessor of the Nghe An Provincial Forensic Center shared: “Thanh is a very agile, resourceful, daring and especially callous girl. . Not only doing well professionally, Thanh was the one who eased the frustrations and pain of the victim’s family with his calm demeanor, the bravery of a forensic officer and his sincerity, tenderness and kindness. a woman. Up to now, in Nghe An, Thanh is the only person who directly undertakes such work” – Doctor Can Quang Ha commented on colleagues.