Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional
mistreatment or neglect of a child or children. In the
United States, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Children And Families
(DCF) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or
omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for
harm, or threat of harm to a child.[2] Child
abuse can occur in a child's home, or in the organizations, schools or
communities the child interacts with. There are four major categories of child
abuse: neglect,physical
abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.
Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions
of what constitutes child abuse for the purposes of removing a child from
his/her 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".
However, Douglas J. Besharov, J.D., LL.M., the first
Director of the U.S. Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, states "the
existing laws are often vague and overly broad"[4] and
there is a "lack of consensus among professionals and Child Protective
Services (CPS) personnel about what the terms abuse and neglect mean". Dr.
Susan Orr, Ph.D. former head of the United States Children’s Bureau U.S.
Department of Health and Services- Administration for Children and Families,
2001-2007, states that "much that is now defined as child abuse and neglect
does not merit governmental interference".
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