What is Child Abuse?
Child abuse is an act by a person or persons that endangers a child or young person’s physical or emotional health or development. In all states and in the Safe Church Policy and Code of Conduct a child or young person is a person under 18 years of age.
There are different kinds of child abuse:
Neglect
Failure to provide the basic necessities of life, such as love and affection, safety, food, clothing, hygiene, medical care and education.
Emotional Abuse
Depriving a child or young person of love and attention which can include but is not limited to constant criticism, isolation, excessive teasing or terrorising. These actions and others are used by a person in a position of power to make the child feel worthless. It may also include actions that cause serious mental anguish without any legitimate disciplinary purpose as judged by the standards of the time when the incidents occurred.
Physical Abuse
All non-accidental physical injuries. This can include but is not limited to hitting, beating, burning, scalding or shaking, and actions that cause serious pain without any legitimate disciplinary purpose as judged by the standards of the time when the incidents occurred.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse includes involvement in sexual activities with anyone who is older, bigger, in authority or perceived authority or more powerful where a child or young person is unable to give informed consent. It also includes sexual activities with a person under 18 years of age (such as another child or sibling) where a child or young person is unable to give informed consent. These activities may be initiated by either party. This includes but is not limited to:
- touching in a sexual way
- masturbating
- flashing
- oral sex
- sexual intercourse
- eroding the sexual boundary between two people through sexual innuendo
- kissing
- unwanted or unnecessary touching
- overly long hugs
- online child exploitation (the grooming of children to create online material that is sexually exploitative of a child)
It can involve apparently consensual intercourse or sexual activity but the validity of consent is negated by the power differential or the fact that one person has a moral and spiritual responsibility towards the other.
It also includes permitting another person to undertake these activities with your knowledge or in your presence. It is not possible for a person under the age set by legislation to legally consent to sexual activity.
Online sexual exploitation of children
Online sexually exploitative abuse of children is growing exponentially in Australia due to the popularity of online activity and in particular, social media use by children. Always report online sexually exploitative abuse of children to police and SCU. For helpful parent and leader resources regarding this visit www.esafety.gov.au
Domestic Violence
Any of the above four forms of abuse within the context of a family is considered to be a form of domestic violence. It also includes social isolation and/or financial control or deprivation. Domestic violence can be carried out upon a child or young person or they can be a witness to violence. That is, to fall within this provision, the violence does not have to be directed at the child or young person.