Types of Child Abuse
Physical Abuse:
Physical abuse means the non-accidental infliction of physical injury on or physical mistreatment of a child. Physical
abuse includes, but is not limited to, such actions as:
1. Throwing, kicking, burning, or cutting a child;
2. Striking a child with a closed fist;
3. Shaking a child under age three;
4. Interfering with a child’s breathing;
5. Threatening a child with a deadly weapon;
6. Doing any other act that is likely to cause and which does cause bodily harm greater than transient pain or
minor temporary marks or which is injurious to the child’s health, welfare, and safety. (WAC 388-15-009).
Sexual Abuse:
Sexual abuse means committing or allowing to be committed any sexual offense against a child as defined in the
criminal code. The intentional touching, either directly or through the clothing, of the sexual or other intimate parts of a
child or allowing, permitting, compelling, encouraging, aiding, or otherwise causing a child to engage in touching the
sexual or other intimate parts of another for the purpose of gratifying the sexual desire of the person touching the child,
the child, or a third party. A parent or guardian of a child, a person authorized by the parent or guardian to provide
childcare for the child, or a person providing medically recognized services for the child, may touch a child in the sexual
or other intimate parts for the purposes of providing hygiene, child care, and medical treatment or diagnosis.
Sexual Exploitation:
Sexual exploitation includes, but is not limited to, such actions as allowing, permitting, compelling encouraging, aiding,
or otherwise causing a child to engage in:
1. Prostitution;
2. Sexually explicit, obscene, or pornographic activity to be photographed, filmed, or electronically
reproduced or transmitted; or
3. Sexually explicit, obscene, or pornographic activity as part of a live performance, or for the benefit or
sexual gratification of another person.
Negligent Treatment or Maltreatment:
Negligent treatment or maltreatment means an act or a failure to act, or the cumulative effects of a pattern of conduct,
behavior, or inaction, on the part of a child’s parent, legal custodian, guardian, or caregiver that shows a serious
disregard of the consequences to the child and creates a clear and present danger to the child’s health, welfare, or safety:
(a) When considering whether a clear and present danger exists, evidence of a parent’s substance abuse as a
contributing factor must be given great weight.
(b) The fact that the siblings share a bedroom is not, in and of itself, negligent treatment or maltreatment.
(c) Poverty, homelessness, or exposure to domestic violence perpetuated against someone other than the
child does not, in and of itself, constitute negligent treatment or maltreatment.
(d) A child does not have to suffer actual damage or physical or emotional harm to be in circumstances that
create a clear and present danger to the child’s health, welfare, or safety.
(e) Negligent treatment or maltreatment may include, but is not limited to one or more of the following:
(i) Failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, supervision, or health care necessary for a child’s
health, welfare, or safety, such that the failure shows a serious disregard of the consequence to the
child and creates a clear and present danger to the child’s health, welfare, or safety;
(ii) Actions, failures to act, or omissions that result in injury or risk of injury to the physical, emotional, and/
or cognitive development of a child, such that it shows a serious disregard of the consequences to the
child and creates a clear and present danger to the child’s health, welfare, or safety;
(iii) The cumulative effects of a pattern of conduct, behavior, or inaction by a parent or guardian in
providing for the physical, emotional or developmental needs of the child, such that it shows a serious
disregard of the consequences to the child and creates a clear and present danger to the child’s health,
welfare, or safety;
Learn
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