This occurs when a parent or guardian fails to enroll a child of proper school age in school. It also includes not enrolling special needs children in a school that provides special education if it is necessary to the child’s best interests. Parents who allow excessive truancy are also guilty of educational neglect.
Physical Neglect
Physical neglect is when a parent, guardian or caregiver doesn’t provide a child under their care with physical needs such as:
Adequate housing, clothing and food.
Proper medical care and prompt emergency services.
Parental security and no abandonment of the child.
Proper supervision.
A home setting. Example: evicting an underage child from the family home.
A place that runaways can return to. Example: If an underage child runs away from home and expresses a desire to return, the parents are required to allow the child to do so.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is a sexual act of any type between a child and an adult. Sexual abuse occurs when:
A child is forced to touch an adult’s genital area.
A child is exposed to pornographic material of any type, the telling of dirty stories, being forced to watch any sexual act or the exposure of sexual organs to a child.
Incest, intercourse, oral sex, penetration or sodomy occurs.
A child’s privacy is violated, such as being watched while undressing or in the bath.
The fondling, kissing or touching of a child’s genitals, or other inappropriate touching.
A child is allowed to view pornography online with the parent’s or guardian’s knowledge.
Sexual exploitation occurs.
A child is forced to participate in the making of pornographic materials of any kind.
These acts are considered child sexual abuse when they are committed by parents, guardians, relatives, caregivers or someone in authority over the child, such as a teacher, scout leader or minister. If these acts are committed by a stranger, it constitutes child sexual assault.