In the state of Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Children’s Code (assuming a citation needs to go here), abuse is defined as any “act that seriously endangers the physical, mental, or emotional health, welfare, and safety of the child.” To further understand how we can prevent this from happening, we first need to understand what abuse is, and what the different types of abuse can look like.
(The definitions below were pulled from “Child Maltreatment Surveillance Uniform Definitions For Public Health And Recommended Data Elements” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (published in 2008)).
https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/CM_Surveillance-a.pdf
Physical – Physical abuse is defined as the intentional use of physical force against a child that results in, or has the potential to result in, physical injury.
Examples: hitting, kicking, punching, stabbing, biting, pushing, shoving, throwing, pulling, dragging, dropping, shaking, strangling/choking, smothering, burning, scalding, and poisoning.
Emotional (Psychological) – Intentional caregiver behavior (i.e., act of commission) that conveys to a child that he/she is worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or valued only in meeting another’s needs
Examples: blaming, belittling, degrading, intimidating, terrorizing, isolating, restraining, confining, and corrupting.
Sexual – Any completed or attempted (non-completed) sexual act, sexual contact with, or exploitation (i.e., noncontact sexual interaction) of a child.
Examples: Physical examples include, fondling, inappropriate touching, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, and making child pornography. Non-physical examples include indecent exposure, having inappropriate conversations, or any other interaction that exposes a child to sexual activity.
Neglect – Failure by a caregiver to meet a child’s basic physical, emotional, medical/dental, or educational needs – or combination thereof.
Examples: Failure to provide proper nutrition, hygiene, shelter, clothing, medical care, access to education, or emotional needs