The Importance Of Child Abuse In Kansas

Child abuse is an issue within society that effects the lives of not only the victims but also the lives of many people in the social order. Child abuse is any mistreatment or neglect of a child that results in non-accidental injury or harm and which cannot be logically explained. There are several forms of abuse and neglect and many state governments have developed their own legal description of what constitutes child maltreatment for the purposes of removing a child and prosecuting a criminal charge. Child abuse consists of different forms of harm including physical, emotional, sexual, and neglect.

“The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act” states’ that “child abuse is the leading cause of death in children under the age of eighteen.” Child abuse occurs when adults inflict violence and cruelty upon children. Abuse is any willful act that results in physical, mental, or sexual injury that causes or is likely to cause the child to be physically, mental, or emotionally impaired. Abuse happens to children of any age, sex, race, religion, and social status.

Nationally in 2012, there were an estimated 686,000 unique child victims of maltreatment in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). That is approximately 9 children out of every 1,000, who are being subjected to maltreatment. In Kansas, child maltreatment is on the rise, with statistics showing 1,868 child victims in 2012, compared to 1,329, in 2009 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). That being said, Kansas is still below the national average, with 2.6 out of every 1,000 children experiencing maltreatment (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013).

Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. There are four major categories: neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse (Levi, Lo, Selby, and Vandenburg). Neglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to

If the offender has a standard offense of abuse or neglect, it will be classified as a Class C felony and they will serve their sentence for at least one year before being eligible for parole or probation. If the offender has multiple offenses, they will not become eligible for at least five years. In the worst case scenario where the child dies, the offense will become a Class A felony and the offender will not be able to get parole or probation for at least 15 years of serving their sentence. It also becomes a Class A felony if there is serious emotional or physical injury, the child is less than 14 years of age, and the injury is the result of sexual abuse. (Missouri General Assembly,

Child abuse is when a parent or caregiver, through action or failure to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. According to The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, as amended by the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010, at a minimum, child abuse and neglect is defined as, "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"; or "An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm (Children 's Bureau, 2010)." The law recognizes a child as being any person who is under the age of 18. The law is broken into 2 sections, and each section treats the idea of child maltreatment in different ways. Criminally, those who abuse children are able to be arrested and prosecuted in court. Civil statutes say that people who suspect a child of being abused are mandated to identify and report it.

Defining child abuse is a complicated issue. First, currently the United States does not have a standard definition of child abuse because each state has their definition. Definitions are different at the state and federal level. Child welfare agencies also may have different child abuse and neglect definitions. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) define child abuse and neglect as any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that result in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, or exploitation; an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm (Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual, 2003;

impairment or injury”, 2) “serious bodily injury” or 3) “bodily injury to a child” (2017). Offense levels range from state jail felony up to first degree felony (2017). When Injury to a Child is determined to be a state jail felony offense, the jail term ranges from 180 days up to two years (2017); however, if it

According to Section 2151.31 of the Ohio Revised Code (2015), child abuse is defined as any victim under the age of 18 years as a victim of sexual activity and is endangered and exhibits evidence of any physical or mental injury or death inflicted other than by accidental means, or an injury or death which is at variance with the history given of it. Nurses working in the state of Ohio will use this definition of child abuse when conducting their clinical assessment and keeping an eye out for the most common signs and symptoms.

Child abuse consists of different types of harmful acts directed toward children. In physical abuse, children are slapped, hit, kicked or pushed, or have objects thrown at them causing wounds, broken bones, or other injuries. Severe abuse may result in major injury, permanent physical or developmental damage, or even death. Emotional abuse involves humiliation, dishonoring or other acts carried out over time that terrorize or frighten the child. Sexual abuse consists of a wide

Child maltreatment: “Federal law defines child abuse and neglect as any recent act, or failure to act, on the part of a parent or caretaker that results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to a child” (“Child Abuse and Maltreatment,”

Child abuse is at its peak in today's world. It has multiple forms. It is usually referred as physical, sexual or emotional exploitation or negligence of a child. Department for Children And Families (DCF) define child abuse as acts of commission parent or other guardian that consequences in damage, probability for destruction, or risk of harm to a child. Child abuse can occur at many places like child's home, organizations, schools or publics the child interacts or communicates with

Child abuse in the United States is a growing epidemic. Every year the number of reported cases, and missing children go up. This is caused mostly by lack of education about the different types of child abuse, and the signs that go along with it. Communities need to provide more resources to better educate the public about the types of abuse, and the signs that go along with it. Child abuse and neglect can be lessened by more resources, more education and to reach out to others.

Iowa Department of Human Services (2016) defines child abuse as physical abuse, mental injury, sexual abuse, child prostitution, presence of illegal drugs in a child’s body, denial of critical care, manufacturing of possession of dangerous substance, bestiality in the presence of a child, allows access to a registered sex offender, and allows access to obscene materials. The victim of child abuse is a person under 18 years of age. The abuse is the result of the acts or omissions of the person responsible for the care of the child. According to American Humane Association (2015) the amount of reported child abuse cases hit its peak in 2003 when just over 906,000 cases were reported. That number is deplorable, yet might be low. Because multiple national and state agencies collect and analyze different data using different methods, the statistics can be vastly underrepresented.

In some states it depends on how bad it is to depend on their punishment.(“Child Abuse Penalties and Sentencing.”)