Children Should Be Seen and Not Hurt!

Browning Children

Thousands of children who suffer abuse and neglect are too young, too terrified, or simply too confused to cry for help. For this reason their suffering may go unchecked for years.

Abuse includes the following acts or omissions by any person:


Causing or permitting the child to be in a situation in which the child sustains a mental or emotional injury.(As stated above)

Physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child, or the genuine threat of substantial harm from phsical injury to the child, including an injury that is at variance with the history or explanation given and excluding an accident or reasonable discipline by a parent, guardian, or managing or possesory consevator that does not expose the child to a substantial risk of harm

Failure to make a reasonable effort to prevent an action by another person that results in physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child

Sexual conduct harmful to a child's mental, emotional, or phsical wefare

Failure to make a resonable effort to prevent sexual conduct harmful to a child

Compelling or encouraging the child to engage in sexual conduct

Causing, permitting, encouraging, engaging in, or allowing the photographing, filming, or depicting of the child, is obscene or pornographic.

Neglect includes: The leaving of a child in a situation where the child would be exposed to a substantial risk of physical or mental harm, without arranging for necessary care for the child, and a demonstration of an intent not to return by a parent, guardian, or managing or possessory conservator of the child.

The failure to seek, obtain, or follow through with medical care for the child, with the failure resulting in or presenting a substantial risk of death, disfigurement, or bodily injury or with the failure resulting in an observable and material impairment to the growth, development, or funtioning of the child

The failure to provide the child with food, clothing, or shelter necessary to sustain the life or health of the child, excluding failure caused primarily by financial inability unless reief services had been offered and refused

Placing a child in or failing to remove a child from a situation in which the child would be exposed to a substantial risk of sexual conduct harmful to the child

The failure by the person responsible for the child's care, custody, or wefare to permit the child to return to the child's home without arranging for the necessary care for the child after the child has been absent from the home for any reason, including having been in residential placement or having run away

My point, without all the legal mumbo jumbo, is simple, if you know of or have reason to believe that a child is being hurt in anyway, it is your responsiblity to do something about it!

When in doubt, call. The decision to report is difficult to make. If you are feeling indecisive, go ahead and call. Your call can activate help for a hurting child and family. And remember, you are repuired by law to report any situation which you suspect involves abuse or neglect. Your call may be the child's only cry for help.