Although many times the parent or caregiver did not mean to hurt the child, physical abuse can be caused by over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child's age. Physical abuse is when by inflicting physical injury by punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, or otherwise harming a child. Although the injury is not an accident, the parent or caretaker may not have intended to hurt the child. The injury may have resulted from over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to the child's age. Child Neglect Child neglect is characterized by failure to provide for the child's basic needs.
Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional.
Educational neglect includes permission of chronic truancy, failure to enroll a child of mandatory school age, and inattention to a special educational need. Emotional neglect includes such actions as chronic or extreme spouse abuse in the child's presence, permission of drug or alcohol use by the child, and refusal of or failure to provide needed psychological care. It is very important to distinguish between willful neglect and a parent's or caretaker's failure to provide necessities of life because of poverty or cultural norms. A parent who is unable to provide the necessities of life due to poverty financial assistance, health services, housing , or other basic services. Sexual assault is handled solely by the police and criminal courts.