|
|
Child Abuse and Child Neglect
What is
Child Abuse?
Child
abuse is the physical or psychological emotional mistreatment of
children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) define child abuse as:
any act or series of acts of
commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in
the harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.
Most child
abuse occurs in a child's home, with some child abuse
occurring in organizations such as schools, organizations or communities the child
interacts with.
|
|
Types of
Child Abuse
There are four major
categories of child abuse:
- Neglect
- Physical abuse
- Psychological /
emotional abuse
- Child sexual abuse
Different jurisdictions
have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child abuse for
the purposes of removing a child from a family and/or prosecuting a
criminal charge. According to the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect,
child abuse is "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent
or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm,
sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an
imminent risk of serious harm". |
Child
Neglect
Child neglect
is defined as "the failure of a person responsible for a child’s care
and upbringing to safeguard the child’s emotional and physical health
and general well-being". Like acts of commission, harm to a child may or
may not be the intended consequence.
The following are types of child neglect:
- Failure to provide
- Physical neglect
- Emotional neglect
- Medical/dental neglect
- Educational neglect
- Failure to supervise
- Inadequate supervision
- Exposure to violent
environments
|
|
