What is Child Abuse or Neglect?

What is Child Abuse or Neglect?

Many people who are contacted by Child Protective Services are accused of child abuse or neglect. Before you try to fight this case, you need to understand what you are being accused of. Here, we will go into what child abuse is, and how it is often recognized.

Physical abuse is “nonaccidental physical injury” that ranges from small bruises to severe injury such as fractures, broken bones, and death. These injuries may come as a result of punching, beating, kicking, stabbing, hitting, shaking, throwing, choking, biting, slapping, or burning a child. This abuse is characterized by injury inflicted by a parent or caregiver onto a child. These injuries are considered abuse whether or not the injury was intended or premeditated. Physical discipline such as spanking is not considered abuse as long as it is within reason and does not cause real bodily harm to the child.

Neglect is defined as the “failure of a parent, guardian, or other caregiver to provide for a child’s basic needs.” Neglect has many subdivisions and actions that are included in the definition. Physical neglect is the failure to provide necessary food and shelter for a child. Medical neglect is failure to provide medical or mental health treatment for a child. Educational neglect is the failure to send a child to school or self-educate them, and attend to their special education needs. Emotional neglect is inattention to a child’s emotional needs and their psychological needs. This may also include allowing a child to drink alcohol or use illegal drugs.

Sexual abuse may include actions taken by a parent or caregiver that are sexually inappropriate, such as fondling the child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, forced prostitution, or production of pornographic materials featuring the child.

Emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse, “is a pattern of behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth.” Examples may be demeaning the child, constant criticism, threatening the child, rejecting the child, or withholding love and support. This kind of abuse can be very difficult to prove, and Child Protective Services are often unable to intervene.

Abandonment is a form of neglect that is characterized by a general absence of the parents or caregivers. If the adult(s)’s whereabouts are unknown or they have left the child alone in a dangerous situation, this is included under abandonment.

Substance abuse is an action taken by the adult in charge involving illegal or dangerous drugs that may harm a child’s development or put him in a dangerous situation. This may include prenatal exposure of a child to harm via illegal drugs or other dangerous substances, creation of methamphetamines in the presence of a child, selling and distribution of illegal drugs in front of a child, giving drugs or alcohol to a child, or use of a controlled substance by a caregiver that impairs his or her ability to care for the child.

(source: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/whatiscan.pdf#page=3&view=What Are the Major Types of Child Abuse and Neglect?)