What is considered child abuse? If a parent hits you hard (pulls your hair, chokes you, hits you) and hurts you not continuously but whenever they think its a form of discipline, is it abuse? Should you call a hotline?
According to Florida Statute 827.03, “child abuse” is:“Child abuse” means:1. Intentional infliction of physical or mental injury upon a child;2. An intentional act that could reasonably be expected to result in physical or mental injury to a child; or3. Active encouragement of any person to commit an act that results or could reasonably be expected to result in physical or mental injury to a child.(c) “Maliciously” means wrongfully, intentionally, and without legal justification or excuse. Maliciousness may be established by circumstances from which one could conclude that a reasonable parent would not have engaged in the damaging acts toward the child for any valid reason and that the primary purpose of the acts was to cause the victim unjustifiable pain or injury.(d) “Mental injury” means injury to the intellectual or psychological capacity of a child as evidenced by a discernible and substantial impairment in the ability of the child to function within the normal range of performance and behavior as supported by expert testimony.Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine“Corporal punishment” is defined as:punishment that involves hitting someone : physical punishment.Definition of CORPORAL PUNISHMENTCorporal punishment can also include caning and flogging.While corporal punishment has been banned in 31 of the 50 states, it is still legal in 19 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas,Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.Some parents and teachers believe that physical punishment (such a paddling or spanking a child) is an effective form of discipline. For example, the Amish strongly believe in spanking a child as a form of discipline. The mild spankings that are delivered by some Amish, some parents, and some teachers is not considered “child abuse” by law in the 19 states mentioned above.
Is one slap considered chold abuse in Florida?
My brother slapped his 6year old stepdaughter... he didnt leave a big bruise. It was like 2 marks of his fingers which look like scratches. It was his first time doing that. He usually spanks her inThe butt or sends her to sleep early or no tv as punispunishment. Her teacher called DCF... they saw his stepdaughter. She went to the doctor and officer. They saw a handprint. Right now his stepdaughter is staying with her grandmother for 3 days. He's scared of whats going to happen next. Does anyone happen to know what DCF might do in this case? Is it child abuse? Is he in a lot of trouble?
Can you spank your kids in the state of Florida? (laws)?
You can swat a child in any state. No weapons can be used, nor can you abuse the child, ie: no welts, bruises, broken bones or injury of any kind, nothing harder than a "knock it off" type spank/swat. A light swat on the hand, butt or thigh is legal in every state... For instance if a child is reaching for a candle, you can legally swat their hand so long you do not pose any serious injury or mental harm.
Child Abuse in the 1950's?
They certainly did not have what we call "Mandated Reporters" (ie teachers, doctors, caregivers etc..) so it FREQUENTLY went unreported or under-reported. Corporal punishment was much more widely accepted as a legitimate method of disciplining children. Parents had a "biblical obligation" to enforce discipline to unruly children, by NOT "sparring the rod to spoil the child". Even teachers were allowed to strike, slap, pull hair and do other things in the name of discipline. There is a story released a few days about a boys school in Florida where many of the boys we whipped with a leather whip for smoking or swearing. Some of the boys died at the "school" (gulag???) and were buried in unmarked graves. The governor of Florida is taking steps to have the graves exhumed so that forensics team can identify the boys and give them a re-burial. Apparently none of the teachers or supervisors of the school were punsihed for these crime either....as disciplining an unruly child was not a "crime" back then. I grew up in a Catholic school in Minnesota in the 1960's and was routinely punished by hair pulling, ear yanking and fingers being snapped with a wooden ruler by the nuns who were our teachers. My crimes there included talking to the girl who sat in front of me, using a ball point pen instead of a pencil on my homework and giggling at my freinds making funny faces. I won't say that I am "scarred for life" but I did complain constantly about it until by parents put me in public school at the 4th grade. Punishments there were less extreme and fewer in between. Now it seems that the pendulum has swung the opposite direction. Teachers are routinely fired for the least infraction when it comes to discipline. I saw a story on TV last year about a teacher from Nebraska ( think that was the state) who prevented 90% of her class from graduating because they were all guilty of plagerism on a English research paper. She caught them using plagerism software. The parents were so outraged at the teacher that they went to the school board and got her fired. Our schools in the big cities are out of control with violence, weapons, fighting, and gang activity. Something needs to be done. Some kind a middle ground needs to be established.
If you slap a child is that child abuse?
It depends. For no reason? What is no reason to kid? Everything is no reason to a kid. As for telling a teacher or a counselor, I'd go for another family member first. I live in Ca. I have a friend who's cousin little girl told her school that she slapped her. School counselor called social services right away, and placed the kid in a foster home, while they investigated. A week later the girl was returned home. It turns out, the girl lied and was mad because the mom wouldn't let her stay the night over a friends house, and that was her way of getting back at her. So this school counselor put this mothers life in jeopardy because she didn't talk to the mother first. She just assumed the child was telling the truth, and acted irrationally. I told my friend, that I hope she sued the school.
Is hitting your child with a belt " child abuse " ?
If the belt buckle is used as a form of punishment, yes, that is child abuse and should be reported to authorities. Otherwise, it's just punishing your child and is ok.