About Child Abuse
Child maltreatment means abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation or abandonment by the caretaker of the child (a parent, guardian, custodian, or foster parent.) The caretaker may be anyone who is age 10 or older and entrusted with the child's care. Child maltreatment occurs when the caretaker harms the child or lets harm come to the child, or fails to meet the child's basic needs.
Sexual abuse and exploitation are child maltreatment under Arkansas law whether by a caretaker or by someone else.
Types of Abuse:
Sexual Abuse: Activities by a parent, caretaker, acquaintance or stranger such as fondling a child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape sodomy, indecent exposure and/or commercial exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials.
You might suspect sexual abuse when you see:
- Physical signs of sexually transmitted disease
- Evidence of injury to the genital area
- Pregnancy in a young girl
- Difficulty in sitting or walking
- Frequent expressions of sexual activity between adult and child
- Extreme fear of being alone with adults of a certain sex
- Sexually suggestive, inappropriate or promiscuous behavior
- Knowledge of sexual relations beyond what is expected for a child’s age
- Sexual victimization of other children
Physical Abuse: Physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) as a result of punching, beating, shaking, kicking, biting, throwing, stabbing, hitting, burning, choking, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child.
You might suspect physical abuse when you see:
- Frequent injuries such as bruises, cuts, black eyes, or burns without adequate explanation
- Frequent complaints of pain without obvious injury
- Burns or bruises in unusual patterns that may indicate the use of an instrument or human bite; cigarette burns on any part of the body
- Lack of reaction to pain
- Aggressive, disruptive and destructive behavior
- Passive, withdrawn and emotionless behavior
- Fear of going home or seeing parents; injuries that appear after a child has not been seen for several days
- Unreasonable clothing that may hide injuries to arms or legs
Neglect: Failure to provide for the child's basic needs.
You might suspect neglect when you see:
- Obvious malnourishment
- Lack of personal cleanliness
- Torn or dirty clothing
- Begging for food
- Child unattended for long periods of time
- Need for glasses, dental care or other medical attention
- Frequent tardiness or absence from school
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