Child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to act by a parent or a caregiver that results in actual or potential harm to a child and can occur in a child's home, or in the organizations, schools, or communities the child interacts with.
| Criminal law |
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| Elements |
| Scope of criminal liability |
| Severity of offense |
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| Inchoate offenses |
| Offences against the person |
| Sexual offenses |
| Crimes against property |
| Crimes against justice |
| Crimes against the public |
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| Crimes against animals |
| Crimes against the state |
| Defences to liability |
| Other common-law areas |
| Portals |
The terms child abuse and child maltreatment are often used interchangeably, although some researchers make a distinction between them, treating child maltreatment as an umbrella term to cover neglect, exploitation, and trafficking.
Different jurisdictions have different requirements for mandatory reporting and have developed different definitions of what constitutes child abuse, and therefore have different criteria to remove children from their families or to prosecute a criminal charge.