DEFINITIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

In order to meet your responsibility of reporting abuse or neglect, you may be asking, “What does child abuse and neglect look like?”

The definitions of these four categories, including a brief summary of indicators to explain the definition, are listed below. Please keep in mind, none of the indicators alone are definitive of child abuse. It is necessary to look at the family’s total functioning to determine if safety concerns exist within the family unit.

It is important to note, for purposes of this training, the terminology “parent, guardian, or custodian” is used in defining the four categories. Mandatory reporters are required to report any child abuse or neglect, no matter what relationship the person has with the child. For example, say a school teacher suspects a local community soccer coach is using physical punishment with the child participants. The coach is not a parent, guardian, or custodian to the child; however, the mandatory reporter is required to report.

1. Physical Abuse
   

   Physical abuse refers to an action of the parent, guardian or custodian that is non-accidental and results in physical injuries, often occurring in the name of discipline or punishment.

   Bruises and Welts
   • On face, lips, mouth
   • On torso, back, buttocks, thighs
   • In various stages of healing
   • Clustered, forming regular pattern
   • Reflecting shape of article used to inflict; electric cord or belt buckle
   • On several different surface areas; regularly appear after absence, weekend or vacation
   • Subdural hemorrhage or hematomas
   • Internal injuries
   • Brain damage
   
   Burns
   • Cigar, cigarette burns, especially on soles, palms, back or buttocks
   • Immersion burns; sock-like, glove-like, doughnut shaped on buttocks or genitalia, patterned like electric burner, iron
   • Rope burns on arms, legs, neck or torso
   
   Fractures
   • To skull, nose, facial structure in various stages of healing
   • Multiple or spiral fractures
   • Bone fracture - unexplained and in various stages of healing
   
   Lacerations or Abrasions
   • To mouth, lips, gums, eyes
   • To external genitalia
   
   Behavioral Indicators
   • Behavioral extremes; aggressiveness or withdrawal
   • Frightened of parents
   • Afraid to go home
   • Reports injury
   
   Examples of physical abuse could include, but are not limited to:
   • Hitting
   • Kicking
   • Slapping
   • Shaking
   • Burning
   • Pinching
   • Hair pulling
   • Biting
   • Choking
   • Throwing
   • Shoving
   • Whipping
   • Paddling
   • Multiple injuries
2. Physical Neglect
   

   Physical neglect occurs when a parent, guardian or custodian fails to provide for a child’s basic needs, like food, clothing, shelter, education, medical care or supervision and abandonment. The failure to meet basic needs must represent a threat to the child’s immediate health and safety or an impending danger if there is a pattern or history of the child’s needs not being met.

   Physical Indicators
   • The child is malnourished, emaciated, is always hungry or begging for food, or is seldom fed nutritious food. A medical diagnosis is usually necessary to determine malnutrition.
   • The caretakers fail to provide a home or the home is in a condition that presents a health hazard or dangers such as fire.
   • The caretakers refuse to permit a child to attend school. Truancy alone does not constitute child abuse or neglect but may be an indication when considered with other family factors.
   • The caretakers fail to seek medical or dental treatment for a health problem or condition that, if untreated, could represent a danger to the child.
   • The caretakers fail to provide supervision of a child. The child’s age and competence, amount of time left unsupervised, time of day the child is unsupervised, and degree of parental planning for the unsupervised period must be considered. Community standards need to be considered when making judgments concerning lack of supervision.
   • The child is abandoned. Abandonment is a legal term meaning contact with the child has not been attempted by the caretaker for an extended period of time.
3. Emotional Maltreatment
   

   Emotional maltreatment occurs when a parent, guardian or custodian fails to provide the emotional nurturing needed for a child’s psychological growth and development, or willfully denies the child the emotional stability necessary for proper psychological growth and development. Emotional maltreatment results in an observable or measurable impairment of the child.

   Physical Indicators
   • Failure to thrive is diagnosed. The child does not gain weight or meet developmental norms, despite adequate feedings and absence of physiological causes. Failure to thrive is caused by failure to emotionally nurture, cuddle and hold the child, such as leaving the child in a crib all day. The clearest indicator of failure to thrive is the placement of a child in another environment, where the child dramatically gains weight and thrives.
   • The caretaker verbally abuses the child, such as constant harassment, belittling, humiliation, repeated threats or constant criticism.
   • The caretaker condones, suggests or encourages the child to commit theft or prostitution.
   • The child is ignored or isolated by parents physically and emotionally for long periods of time. An example includes a child who is sent to an empty room for hours or days to be isolated from the rest of the family.
   • The child is placed in a position of acting as a parent to an extremely needs or inadequate parent.
   
   Examples of emotional maltreatment could include, but are not limited to:
   • Yelling
   • Screaming
   • Name-calling
   • Shaming
   • Belittling
   • Negative comparisons to others
   • Telling the child they are “bad, no good, worthless” etc.
   • Ignoring or rejecting
   • Bizarre discipline
   • Targeting one child
4. Sexual Abuse
   

   Sexual abuse and exploitation occurs when a parent, guardian or custodian commits, or allows contacts or interactions between a child and adult, where the child is used for the sexual stimulation of the parent, guardian, caretaker, or other responsible person. Sexual abuse may also be committed by a person under the age of 18, when that person is significantly older than the victim, or in a position of power and control over the child.

   Physical Indicators
   • Difficulty walking or sitting
   • Pain or itching in genital area
   • Bruises or bleeding in external genitalia, vaginal or anal areas
   • Venereal disease, especially in pre-teens
   • Pregnancy
   
   Behavioral Indicators
   • Unwilling to change for gym or participate in physical education class
   • Withdrawal, fantasy or bizarre, sophisticated or unusual sexual behavior or knowledge
   • Poor peer relationships
   • Delinquent or runaway behavior
   • Reports sexual assault by caretaker
   
   Human Trafficking

   There are two types of human trafficking.

   • Sex Trafficking: Sex trafficking is when a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.
   • Labor Trafficking: The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

   The presence of the indicators noted below does not definitively mean the child is a trafficking victim. These indicators serve as clues to be assessed within the broader context of all information presented. Look for the possible sex trafficking indicators and red flags noted below:

   Behavioral Indicators
   • Chronic runaway/homeless youth
   • Children with history of abuse, including substance abuse
   • Children with history of placement, both in the foster care and/or juvenile justice system
   • Excess amount of cash in their possession (may be reluctant to explain its source)
   • Hotel keys and key cards
   • Lying about age/false ID
   • Inconsistencies when describing and recounting events
   • Secrecy concerning their whereabouts and who they are associating with
   • Staying out excessively late, unexplained absences from home, running away
   • Withdrawal from family and former friends
   • Unable or unwilling to give local address or information about parent(s)/guardian
   • Associating with an older crowd, especially older men
   • Presence or fear of another person (often an older male or boyfriend who seems controlling)
   • Sexual activity with older men
   • High number of reported sexual partners at a young age
   • Sexually explicit profiles on social networking sites
   • Injuries/signs of physical abuse (they may be reluctant to explain)
   • Inability or fear of social interaction
   • Demeanor exhibiting fear, anxiety, depression, submissiveness, tenseness, nervousness
   • A sudden deterioration of performance in school or dropping out
   • Is not enrolled in school or is repeatedly absent from school
   • Does not consider self a victim
   • Loyalty or positive feelings toward pimp/trafficker
   • May try to protect pimp/trafficker from authorities
   
   Examples of sexual abuse could include, but are not limited to:
   • Fondling
   • Penetration
   • Intercourse
   • Oral sex
   • Showing pornography
   • Exposing one’s self to a child
   • Voyeurism
   • Forced observation of sexual acts
   • Child prostitution
   • Having a child engage in sexual behavior