Child abuse has been proven to be one of the leading causes of childhood deaths in this nation. According to recent studies every 4 seconds a child is abused and every 7 minutes a child's life is lost.

If you or any member of your family are being abused or know of someone who is being abused you MUST take it seriously and REPORT IT. This problem is a devastating nationwide problem that more often then not goes unreported because people don't want to get involved. As teachers, child care workers, principals, doctors, or any other professionals it is your duty to report suspected abuse or neglect. As a friend, neighbor or even a relative it is also your duty if you suspect someone is being abused to call.

We as a society; therefore, must come together and stand as one to fight against it! By breaking the cycle now.

For the children suffering at the hands of an abuser violence simply becomes a way of life. They in turn grow up thinking and believing that hurting people is a normal part of everyday life and; therefore, it is an acceptable behavior and the cycle of abuse continues as they become parents and abuse their children and their children abuse theirs and so on and so on as the vicious cycle of abuse continues for many generations. This surely is not surprising to any of us, is it? After all we know children learn what they live. In case anyone needs reminding, here's something that perhaps should be printed out and displayed as a reminder for every household who has young children or who deals with children on a daily basis.

It has been said there is a fine line between discipline and abuse and all too often the line is crossed and in many cases it is never realized until it is too late. Over the years we have learned that a very large number of abuse and neglect cases are never reported; therefore, they are allowed to continue indefinitely sometimes ending up with tragic results. We all know that abuse can and does happen to children of any age, sex, race, religion, and socioeconomic background. Abuse knows no boundaries or borders it can happen in a family, which you least expect it to be take place.

Defines child abuse and neglect as being any physical or mental injury, act of sexual abuse or exploitation, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of any child under the age of 18, unless the child protection law of the State in, which the child resides specifies a younger age for cases not involving sexual abuse, by a person, including any employee of a residential facility or any staff person providing out-of- home care, who is responsible for the child's welfare under circumstances, which indicate that the child's health or welfare is harmed or threatened thereby.

The Act defines sexual abuse as: the use, employment, persuasion, inducement, enticement or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct (or any simulation of such conduct) for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct, or rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children.

As a result of the above amendment to the Child Abuse Act, the act now also includes the withholding of medically indicated treatment for an infant's life-threatening conditions as child abuse.

The following categories basically all fit under the heading Maltreatment:

Physical abuse is defined by inflicting any type of physical injury by punching, slapping, hitting, beating, kicking, biting, arm twisting, hair pulling, burning, or otherwise harming a child. The parent or care giver may not have intended to hurt the child and injury may have resulted from over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child's age. However, it is still abuse. Any physical act causing harm to a child is abuse whether it was intended or not.

Child neglect is defined by failure on the parents or care givers part to provide for the child's basic needs, food, water, shelter, clothing and so on. Child neglect can be a combination of the following: physical, educational, or emotional or can be just one alone.

The latest national incidence study defines these three types of neglect as follows.

Physical neglect includes refusal of or delay in seeking health care or emergency medical services, abandonment, kicking an under aged child out of the home. Not allowing a runaway to return home. Inadequate supervision, leaving the child unattended for long periods of time. Leaving an under aged child home alone to be responsible for younger siblings.

Educational neglect includes allowing your school aged child to commit the act of chronic truancy, failure to enroll a child of mandatory school age, every child has the right to education and should be in school according to your states guidelines. Inattention to a special educational need, such as knowing your child is in need of special education classes and doing nothing about it.

Emotional neglect includes such actions as chronic or extreme spouse abuse in the child's presence. Knowledge of drug or alcohol use by the child, or permission. Refusal of or failure to allow or provide needed psychological care.

It is extremely important to distinguish between willful neglect and a parent's or caretaker's failure to provide necessities of life because of poverty or cultural norms. Say for example, willful neglect is acts that call for Child Protective Services intervention. Whereas, if a parent who is unable to provide the necessities of life due to poverty may, instead, seek assistance from the governmental agencies charged with providing financial assistance, health services, housing, or other basic services.

Emotional abuse includes but is not limited to: Screaming, yelling, belittling, name calling, emotional detachment, lack of love and affection, scapegoating, such as blaming the child for the adults problems or financial state.

As you've seen there are many forms of child maltreatment more often than not we find them occurring in combinations. Emotional/psychological will most likely always be present as well. Emotional abuse and neglect includes acts or omissions by the parents, guardians or any other person responsible for the child's care that have caused, or could possibly cause, serious behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders.

In some cases of emotional/psychological abuse the acts of parents or other caretakers alone, without any harm evident in the child's behavior or condition, such as parents, guardian or care givers use excessive, extreme even sometimes bizarre forms of punishment, such as torture, or locking a child in a dark closet. These also are sufficient to warrant the intervention of Child Protective Services.

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