General Definition
Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional
ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial
or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s
health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship
of responsibility, trust or power.
Proposed Clarifications
Physical abuse
Physical abuse of a child is that which results in actual or potential
physical harm from an interaction or lack of an interaction, which is
reasonably within the control of a parent or person in a position of responsibility,
power or trust. There may be a single or repeated incidents.
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse includes the failure to provide a developmentally appropriate,
supportive environment, including the availability of a primary attachment
figure, so that the child can develop a stable and full range of emotional
and social competencies commensurate with her or his personal potentials
and in the context of the society in which the child dwells. There
may also be acts towards the child that cause or have a high probability
of causing harm to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual,
moral or social development. These acts must be reasonably within
the control of the parent or person in a relationship of responsibility,
trust or power. Acts include restriction of movement, patterns of
belittling, denigrating, scapegoating, threatening, scaring, discriminating,
ridiculing or other non-physical forms of hostile or rejecting treatment.
Neglect and negligent treatment
Neglect is the failure to provide for the development of the child in
all spheres: health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter,
and safe living conditions, in the context of resources reasonably available
to the family or caretakers and causes or has a high probability of causing
harm to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral
or social development. This includes the failure to properly supervise
and protect children from harm as much as is feasible.
Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in sexual activity that
he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent
to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot
give consent, or that violate the laws or social taboos of society.
Child sexual abuse is evidenced by this activity between a child and an
adult or another child who by age or development is in a relationship
of responsibility, trust or power, the activity being intended to gratify
or satisfy the needs of the other person. This may include but is
not limited to:
- The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual
activity.
- The exploitative use of child in prostitution or other unlawful sexual
practices.
- The exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and
materials.
Exploitation
Commercial or other exploitation of a child refers to use of the child
in work or other activities for the benefit of others. This includes,
but is not limited to, child labour and child prostitution. These
activities are to the detriment of the child’s physical or mental
health, education, or spiritual, moral or social-emotional development.
pp. 15-16, Report of the Consultation on Child Abuse Prevention, Geneva,
29-31 March 1999, World Health Organization, Social Change and Mental
Health, Violence and Injury Prevention.
* Copies of the original document may be obtained from:
Violence & Injury Prevention Team
Cluster on Social Change and Mental Health
World Health Organization
20 Avenue Appia
1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Fax: 0041.22.791.4332
Email: pvi@who.ch |
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