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Physical Abuse -- to cause physical injury to a child by punching, beating, kicking,
biting, burning, or otherwise harming the child. Although the injury is not an accident,
the parent or caretaker may not have wanted to hurt the child. The injury may have resulted
from over-discipline or physical punishment that is not right for the child's age.
- Child Neglect -- is usually the failure to provide for the child's basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect includes not getting health care, abandonment, throwing the child out of the home, or not allowing a runaway to return home, and not looking after the child. Educational neglect includes letting the child be truant (missing school for no reason), not enrolling a child of mandatory school age, and not paying attention to a special educational need. Emotional neglect includes such things as abusing one's spouse in the child's presence, permitting drug or alcohol use by a child, or not providing needed psychological (mental) care. It is very important to understand that there is a difference between a parent neglecting a child on purpose and a parent who cannot provide many things because he/she has no money and cannot afford it.
- Sexual Abuse -- includes fondling (touching) a child's genitals, intercourse (sex), incest (sex between members of the same family), rape (forced sex), sodomy (sex in unnatural ways, to include anal intercourse), exhibitionism (showing sexual organs), and sexual exploitation (use of children in sexual films, videos, and pictures, and also selling children for sexual acts). To be considered child abuse these acts have to be done by a person responsible for the care of a child (for example, a parent, a babysitter, or daycare provider). If a stranger commits these acts, it would be considered sexual assault and the police and criminal courts would would take care of it. Social service agencies would not be involved.
- Mental Injury -- includes doing things, or perhaps not doing things, which can lead to serious emotional, mental, or behavioral problems. In some cases of mental abuse, the parent's action, even if it did not cause serious injury to the child, would be enough to allow Child Protective Services (CPS) to intervene (step in to handle the problem). (Child Protective Services are the government agencies or departments that are responsible for protecting children). For example, this would include the parents'/caretakers' using harsh or unusual forms of punishment, such as torture or confinement of a child in a dark closest. For less severe acts, such as not taking them to a doctor, always blaming the child, or always putting him/her down, the Child Protective Agency has to show that the child has really been hurt by these actions before anyone can step in to help the child.
- Child Neglect -- is usually the failure to provide for the child's basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect includes not getting health care, abandonment, throwing the child out of the home, or not allowing a runaway to return home, and not looking after the child. Educational neglect includes letting the child be truant (missing school for no reason), not enrolling a child of mandatory school age, and not paying attention to a special educational need. Emotional neglect includes such things as abusing one's spouse in the child's presence, permitting drug or alcohol use by a child, or not providing needed psychological (mental) care. It is very important to understand that there is a difference between a parent neglecting a child on purpose and a parent who cannot provide many things because he/she has no money and cannot afford it.
Tuesday's Child had Zero to Eat, Wednesday's Child was Badly Burned, Thursday's Child's Scars have Returned, Friday's Child was Forced into Bed, Saturday's Child has More Tears to Shed, But the Child Abused on Sabbath Day has Nightmares which Simply won't Go Away! |
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