What Is Child Abuse?

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Because of my childhood-and our daughter's injustice, God has trusted me to counsel many women, and several teen-age boys, who have all experienced some form of abuse. Some of these counselees were parents whose children had been abused…which ultimately resulted in the abuse of the parents also. So often I have heard some form of the words, "oh, it wasn't much to be concerned about."

Recovering from my childhood without the blessing of a counselor eventually sent me to the library-- often. The first year I spent healing with God and His Word alone. For the next two years I did a vast amount of reading and writing. I probably could write a volume for this section but I am going to let others teach what child abuse is.

For some that read this text-- the following definitions will be more comprehensive than they ever imagined. Some may even consider the definitions to be "blown out of proportion". I am also aware that some may read this and begin to understand themselves in a frightening way. Whatever your reaction, I so encourage you to read all of the material provided in every section before you let your reactions cause you to stop.
~~Sharon Merhalski

Child abuse includes assaults in any of several domains (physical, sexual, or emotional) and may be acts of commission (abuse) or omission (neglect). Congress broadly defines child abuse in Public Law 93-247 as the "physical or mental injury, (word omitted) abuse, negligent treatment, or maltreatment of a child under the age of eighteen by a person who is responsible for the child's welfare under circumstances which indicate that the child's health or welfare is threatened thereby." Many researchers and clinicians view child abuse as a broad collection and range of acts. ---Author/s: Doreen Arcus, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Lowell

Government Definition of Abuse as written in the law:

"Abuse" means any willful act that results in any physical, mental, or (word omitted) injury that causes or is likely to cause the child's physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired. Corporal discipline of a child by a parent or guardian for discipline purposes does not in itself constitute abuse when it does not result in harm to the child (s. 415.503).

Child abuse kills more children in America than do accidental falls, drowning, choking on food, fires in the home, or suffocation.
--U.S. Dept. of Justice

STATISTICS

· 1 in 4 girls and at least 1 in 10 boys are sexually abused in some way by the time they reach adolescence 10% of those children are preschoolers (Children's Hospital, D.C.)
· 85-90% involve perpetrators known to the child (Groth, 1982; DeFrancis, 1969; Russell, 1983)
· 35% involve a family member (King County Rape Relief, Washington)
· Only 10% of the offenses involve physical violence (Jaffee, 1975)
· 50% of all assaults take place in the home of the child or the offender (Sanford, 1980)
· The average offender is involved with over 70 children in his or her "career" of offending (Sanford, 1980, Abel and Becker, 1980

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