Child Abuse and Neglect
Child abuse and neglect is any harm to a child that is not an
accident. Child abuse and neglect is also called child maltreatment.
Child abuse and neglect takes many forms.
- Neglect is when parents
or caregivers fail to ensure a child's health and well-being. Neglect may
result from not providing a child with appropriate shelter, schooling,
clothing, medical care, or protection from hazards. A variety of short-term and
long-term problems result, such as developmental delays and failure to
thrive.
- Physical abuse causes bodily injuries,
such as bruises, burns, fractures, cuts, punctures, or organ damage. Physical
abuse includes harming a fetus, such as when a pregnant woman has substance
abuse problems or is purposefully injured. Some states do not consider the use
of substances by a pregnant woman to be physical abuse.
- Emotional (psychological) abuse is a repeated pattern of intentional verbal or
behavioral actions or lack of actions toward a child that give the message that
he or she is worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or only of value
to meet someone else's needs. Withholding emotional support, isolating, or
terrorizing a child are forms of emotional abuse. Intimate partner (domestic)
violence that is witnessed by a child is also considered a form of emotional
abuse.
- Sexual abuse is any act with a child
that is intended to sexually gratify an older child or adult. It includes any
sexual activity that a child does not comprehend or consent to, or that is
against the law. Exhibitionism, voyeurism, and exposing a child to pornography
are also types of sexual abuse.
Credits