Child abuse consists of any act of commission or omission that endangers or impairs a child’s physical or emotional health and development. Child abuse includes any damage done to a child which cannot be reasonably explained and which is often represented by an injury or series of injuries appearing to be non-accidental in nature. Three major forms of abuse are Neglect, Sexual abuse and Physical abuse. Neglect is a form of abuse where the parent has failed to provide for the child’s basic needs. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse hence it is the easiest to occur. Parents who are not financially stable can be accused of not

Neglect is the number one leading cause of child abuse in Canada and the U.S. This is because adults neglect children far more often than they abuse them. Neglected children are far more invisible to the human eye than children whose lives end prematurely. “In terms of state law, neglected children are paid almost no attention.” (Kimberly Mills, 2002) In 1998, 53.5% (Mills, 2002) of child abuse victims were victims of neglect. With the greatest number of child abuse victims being victims of abuse more drastic measures must be drawn to protect the 53.5% of the neglect victims from abuse, and these are only those cases in which are reported. As neglect is the most common form of child abuse it is the hardest to prosecute. Children who have been neglect may show signs of “medical problems may be a result of malnutrition, which can result in deformities and life-long poor health (Munkel, 1996). Non-organic Failure to Thrive (NFTT) is a condition found in infants in which their height and weight are below the fifth percentile, when once they were within a normal range (Wallace, 1996). The diagnosis of NFTT indicates that there is no medical, or organic, reason for the infant's condition, and it is therefore attributable to an inability of the parents to physically care for the child. NFTT can result in continued growth problems, school failure, and possible retardation” (Wallace, 1996). Munkel adds that extreme neglect can result in death. “Neglected children suffer hurts in their bodies, their minds, their emotions, and their spirits” (Munkel, 1996). Neglect is an act of omission. It is the failure of a child's primary caretaker to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, supervision, and medical care. But what is adequate? And is it neglect if the primary caretaker is simply unable to provide for the child's needs, or must the caretaker "willfully" deprive the child? And is it neglect only if the child has suffered harm, or if the child is potentially at harm? And are there other types of deprivation not mentioned above-such as a failure to provide for a child's educational or emotional needs-that also should be classified as neglect? Both legal and research professionals struggle with these questions. These questions form answers around why neglect is the least looked at in the law. If there are so many ways to define and look at neglect how is one to create laws, and protect children from it? One important element of a child neglect definition is the identification of behaviors or conditions that are considered "neglectful." Some behaviors seem universally classified as neglect by researchers. “These include: Inadequate nutrition, clothing, or hygiene, inadequate medical, dental, or mental health care, unsafe environments, and inadequate supervision, including use of inadequate caretakers, abandonment or expulsion

Some topics in this essay:
Thrive NFTT, Dick Peterson, Neglect Sexual, Hidden Bruises, Statistics Canada, Criminal Code, , Kimberly Mills, Sedlack Broadhurst, child abuse, Family Violence, sexual abuse, physical abuse, abuse neglect, criminal code, peterson 2002, mills 2002, bruises 1996, hidden bruises, hidden bruises 1996, common form child, form abuse, child sexual abuse, form child abuse, house family violence,