What is Abuse?

Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse generally refers to sexual acts, sexually motivated behaviors, or sexual exploitation involving children. Child sexual abuse includes a wide range of behaviors, such as:

Sexual abuse includes both touching offenses (fondling or sexual intercourse) and nontouching offenses (exposing a child to pornographic materials) and can involve varying degrees of violence and emotional trauma.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse involves actions that cause physical injury, such as bruises and fractures that result from:

·        Punching

·        Beating

·        Kicking

·        Biting

·        Shaking

·        Throwing

·        Stabbing

·        Choking

·        Hitting with a hand, stick, strap, or other object

·        Burning

While injury resulting from physical abuse is not accidental, the parent or caregiver may not have intended to hurt the child. The injury may have resulted from severe discipline, including injurious spanking, or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child's age or condition.

Neglect

Child neglect is generally characterized by omissions in care resulting in significant harm or risk of significant harm to a child. Neglect is frequently defined in terms of a failure to provide for one’s basic needs, such as inadequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, or medical care. Some acts of neglect include:

·        Refusal or delay in health or mental care

·        Abandonment or expulsion from the home

·        Inadequate supervision

·        Inadequate nutrition, clothing, or hygiene

·        Conspicuous inattention to avoidable hazards in the home

·        Reckless disregard for the child's safety and welfare

·        Permitted chronic truancy

·        Inadequate nurturing or affection

·        Chronic or extreme spouse abuse

·        Permitted drug or alcohol abuse

Emotional abuse or psychological maltreatment refers to "a repeated pattern of caregiver behavior or extreme incident(s) that convey to children that they are worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or only of value in meeting another's needs" (Hart & Brassard). Emotional abuse includes: