Child abuse and neglect

abuse; hurt; harm; emotional; neglect; sexual; physical; protective; behaviours;

Contents

• What is child abuse?
• Who abuses children?
• Effects of child abuse
• Child sexual abuse
• What the law says in South Australia
• Child Abuse Report Line
• Want to read more?

Child abuse and neglect hurts children and families.

What is child abuse?

• Abuse can be any or all of these:

Emotional abuse (so children feel very frightened and upset)

• Shouting, swearing and screaming at a child often.
• Letting a child see people punching, kicking and bashing each other.
• Treating children in changing ways - good then bad, friendly then unfriendly, caring then not caring. Children get scared and are not sure what to expect.
• Hurting someone or something that the child loves, including a pet, in front of the child.

Physical abuse (abuse of a child's body)

• Punching, kicking, shaking or throwing a baby or child.
• Hitting with a stick or something hard.
• Burning, strangling or stopping a child breathing.

Sexual abuse

• Touching a child in a sexual way.
• Having sex with a child.
• Asking a child to touch you to do sexual things to you.
• Having sex in front of a child
• Showing a child pornography

Neglect (not taking care of a child)

• Not giving a child food or drinks.
• Not watching to make sure they are safe.
• Not caring for children when they are sick.
• Not giving medicine or visiting the clinic/health centre.
• Not spending time with a child.
• Not making sure they go to school.
• Not keeping them and their clothing clean.
• Not providing them with a clean place to live and sleep.

Who abuses children?

• Often a person trusted by the child or the family.
• They can be parents, grandparents, defacto or step-partners, friends, older brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, neighbours, teachers, childcare workers, babysitters or leaders in organizations such as sporting clubs and churches.

Effects of child abuse

• Children learn that they can't trust people to keep them safe.
• Their bodies can be damaged, and sometimes the harm lasts for a long time, and some children die.
• Children feel scared and unsafe.
• They may not learn and grow as well as other children.
• They may believe that it is ok for people to hurt others when they are angry.
• They may find it hard to trust others or have close relationships with other people, including sexual relationships.
• They may have problems as adults in running their own home and family.

Child sexual abuse

Sadly, sexual abuse of children is common.

Children are mostly abused by someone they know – even relatives and family friends. Child sexual abuse happens in all cultures and all kinds of families. Girls and boys of all ages are at risk.

There is more to read about this in the NAPCAN pamplet 'Keeping children safe from sexual abuse' 
http://www.napcan.org.au/images/uploads/pdf/3vefzm7eo1uu.pdf 

What the law says in South Australia

• In South Australia there is a law (the Children's Protection Act) to protect children. http://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/LZ/C/A/CHILDRENS%20PROTECTION%20ACT%201993.aspx
  More about the law - 'Legislation'
  http://www.dfc.sa.gov.au/pub/tabId/485/itemId/1427/moduleId/1762/Legislation.aspx
• Some professional people including doctors, nurses and teachers have to make a report to the Child Abuse Report Line, run by Families SA if they believe a child may have been abused or neglected. http://www.dfc.sa.gov.au/pub/tabid/485/itemid/1427/default.aspx#People_required_to_notify
• All people in the community need to report child abuse to protect children. See 'Reporting child abuse' http://www.dfc.sa.gov.au/pub/default.aspx?tabid=485
• Families SA, part of Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI), is the organization required by law to investigate reports of child abuse and to see that children are safe and protected.
  http://www.dfc.sa.gov.au/pub/default.aspx?tabid=249

Child Abuse Report Line

South Australia

If you have reasonable grounds to suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call 13 14 78 (24 hours a day, every day) – they will not give your name to the parent/s unless you say they can (you can remain anonymous if you wish).
http://www.dfc.sa.gov.au/pub/default.aspx?tabid=485

Call the Parent Helpline if you want to talk about your worries Ph: 1300 364 100

In other States of Australia

http://www.childabuseprevention.com.au/reporting-abuse.html

Want to read more?

• Child Abuse Prevention Services - Australia-wide support, counselling, referral to services and reporting, including support for children and young people. Ph: 1800 688 009 (24 hours, 7 days)
  http://www.childabuseprevention.com.au 
• NAPCAN (National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect) (Australia):
  http://www.napcan.org.au
• National Child Protection Clearinghouse:
  http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/
• World Health Organisation 'Preventing child maltreatment: a guide to taking action and generating evidence'
  http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2006/9241594365_eng.pdf
• Adult survivors of child abuse (ASCA)
  http://www.asca.org.au/

The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Parent Helpline on 1300 364 100 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).

This topic may use 'he' and 'she' in turn - please change to suit your child's sex.