In North Carolina and
throughout the United States, there are many laws that
are designed to protect children. Parents and guardians
can be charged with child neglect if they fail to
provide food, clothing, shelter, medical treatment, and
supervision for any child in their care. If they
mistreat or abuse children in their care they can be
charged with child abuse.
Child abuse laws cover a range of activities that can
jeopardize the safety of children in our communities.
North Carolina law protects minors from physical and
emotional abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, and
holds parents/guardians responsible for the wellbeing of
their child(ren). Parents and guardians may also be
charged with child abuse if they do not do everything in
their means to protect a child from an abuser.
North Carolina law also requires that anyone who
suspects a child is being, or has been, abused must
report the abuse to the appropriate authorities. This
includes teachers, doctors, nurses, child care workers,
and social workers and there are civil and criminal
penalties for anyone who fails to do so.
Under North Carolina law, child abuse or neglect
includes:
- Physical injury
inflicted by other than accidental means upon a
child by another person.
- Willful harming
or injury of the child or the endangering of the
person or health of the child.
- Unlawful corporal
punishment or injury.
Willful harming or
injuring of a child or the endangering of the person
or health of a child means:
- A situation in
which any person willfully causes or permits any
child to suffer, or inflicts thereon,
unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering.
- Having the care or
custody of any child, willfully causes or permits
the person or health of the child to be placed in a
situation in which his or her person or health is
endangered.
Willful harming or
injuring of a child or the endangering of the person
or health of a child means:
- Sexual assault,
which includes rape, statutory rape, rape in
concert, incest, sodomy, lewd or lascivious acts
upon a child, oral copulation, sexual penetration,
or child molestation.
- Sexual
exploitation, which refers to:
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