I found a pretty good website with information about child abuse. I’ll use that information to go through the major symptoms and causes of child abuse.
It’s never an easy decision to report suspected abuse or neglect. I’m quoting from the following website in the hopes that it might help someone make decisions in the best interests of a child. Legally people in some professions are obligated reporters of child abuse and neglect. Morally all human beings are obligated to protect children.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm
Some signs of child neglect:
- Clothes that are dirty, ill-fitting, ragged, and/or not suitable for the weather
- Unwashed appearance; offensive body odor
- Indicators of hunger: asking for or stealing food, going through trash for food, eating too fast or too much when food is provided for a group
- Apparent lack of supervision: wandering alone, home alone, left in a car
- Colds, fevers, or rashes left untreated; infected cuts; chronic tiredness
- In schoolchildren, frequent absence or lateness; troublesome, disruptive behavior or its opposite, withdrawal
- In babies, failure to thrive; failure to relate to other people or to surroundings
A single occurrence of one of these indicators isn’t necessarily a sign of child neglect, but a pattern of behaviors may demonstrate a lack of care that constitutes abuse.
