The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) defines four major types of child maltreatment: Neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse.
Physical Abuse: Physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) as a result of punching, beating, shaking, kicking, biting, throwing, stabbing, hitting, burning, choking, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child.
DFPS encourages an individual to suspect physical abuse when he/she sees:
- Frequent injuries such as bruises, cuts, black eyes, or burns without adequate explanation
- Frequent complaints of pain without obvious injury
- Burns or bruises in unusual patterns that may indicate the use of an instrument or human bite; cigarette burns on any part of the body
- Lack of reaction to pain
- Aggressive, disruptive and destructive behavior
- Passive, withdrawn and emotionless behavior
- Fear of going home or seeing parents; injuries that appear after a child has not been seen for several days
- Unreasonable clothing that may hide injuries to arms or legs
Neglect: Failure to provide for a child’s basic needs.
DFPS encourages an individual to suspect neglect when he/she sees:
- Obvious malnourishment
- Lack of personal cleanliness
- Torn or dirty clothing
- Begging for food
- Child unattended for long periods of time
- Need for glasses, dental care or other medical attention
- Frequent tardiness or absence from school
Sexual abuse: Activities by a parent, caretaker, acquaintance or stranger such as fondling a child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape sodomy, indecent exposure and/or commercial exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials.
DFPS encourages an individual to suspect sexual abuse when he/she sees:
- Physical signs of sexually transmitted disease
- Evidence of injury to the genital area
- Pregnancy in a young girl
- Difficulty in sitting or walking
- Frequent expressions of sexual activity between adult and child
- Extreme fear of being alone with adults of a certain sex
- Sexually suggestive, inappropriate or promiscuous behavior
- Knowledge of sexual relations beyond what is expected for a child’s age
- Sexual victimization of other children
Emotional abuse: Mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in a child’s growth, development or psychological functioning. It includes extreme forms of punishment such as confining a child in a dark closet, habitual scapegoat, belittling and rejecting treatment for a child.
DFPS encourages an individual to suspect emotional abuse when he/she sees:
- Over compliance
- Low self-esteem
- Severe depression, anxiety or aggression
- Difficulty making friends or doing things with other children
- Lagging in physical, emotional and intellectual development
- Caregiver who belittles child, withholds love and seems unconcerned about child’s problems
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