What is Child Abuse?
Child abuse occurs when a child is intentionally harmed by an adult or another child. The abuse typically takes place over some time, but it can also be a one-off action. It can take the form of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, and it can happen in person or online.
What's the Difference Between Discipline and Child Abuse?
Discipline cannot be achieved through harsh words, punishment, or spanking. While it may provide the parent or caregiver with short-term benefits, it may take on the form of abuse in the long run, affecting the child's physical and mental health.
Discipline, therefore, is about teaching rules to children and following up on the consequences. Abuse, on the other hand, is when you cross the line and hurt a child so much that it causes severe physical, psychological, or emotional damage.
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What's the Difference Between Child Abuse and Neglect?
"Child maltreatment" is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or another person in a custodial role that results in harm, potential harm, or threat of harm to a child. Child neglect is defined as the failure to meet a child’s basic physical and emotional needs, whereas child abuse is actively doing harmful things to a child.
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Child Abuse Penalties and Sentencing
Child abuse is considered an especially heinous crime because of the obvious vulnerability and innocence of the victims. Society's attitude toward child abusers is reflected in the severity of punishments for many types of offenses involving children.
However, many laws also tend to mete out lesser penalties for offenses that amount to bad or negligent parenting. In most cases, these minor offenses are categorized as neglect and are often not punished as harshly as the intentional physical abuse of a child.
The range of child abuse penalties and sentencing depends on a variety of factors, including:
- The state where the abuse took place;
- The age of the child;
- Whether the offense involved sexual abuse;
- The extent that the child was physically or mentally injured; and
- The criminal history of the offender.
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