9781422276068

Abuse among family and friends

We can understand child abuse as referring to the mistreatment of someone under 18 by a caregiver or other authority figure. Parents and other relatives are the most obvious types of caregivers, but teachers and coaches also count, as do doctors and clergy. More informal types of “authority figures” can also be abusive, such as babysitters, camp counselors, neighbors, and family friends. There are four main types of child abuse. Physical abuse is exactly what it sounds like — deliberately causing physical harm, whether through hitting, shoving, burning, and or any other method. In the past, hitting children to discipline them — called corporal punishment — was a socially acceptable parenting technique, but that’s no longer true in most places. There is still disagreement about whether spanking a child rises to the level of true

A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds in the United States.

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