It shouldn't hurt to be a kid...

Child abuse affects children in every community in Central Oregon. Abuse is defined by the harm it causes to the child, not the motivation of the person hurting the child. Although any of the forms of abuse listed below may be found separately, many children suffer two or more types of abuse.  Each state is responsible for establishing its own definitions of child abuse that meet Federal minimum standards.

Below are several of the most common types of abuse as defined by Oregon law and their symptoms.

For more information, please see Oregon DHS at http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/children/abuse/index.shtml.

Physical Abuse includes deliberately inflicted bruises, welts, burns, cuts, broken bones, bites, etc. and is defined as any injury to a child that is not accidental.

Injuries may:

• Be in the shape of the article used (belt, electric cord), or body part (hand or boot print)
• Not match the child’s or adult’s description of how the injury occurred (ex: fracture from falling off the couch)
• Not match the child’s level of mobility (bruises on a child not yet walking)

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) includes sexual contact between an adult (18 or older) and a minor (younger than 18). The law extends to contact between two minors when one exerts power over the other.

• Sexual contact between minors is abuse when physical or psychological coercion is used, or when there is a significant difference in the physical size or developmental levels of the minors, when a developmentally capable minor is deemed unable to consent due to mental impairment by drugs or alcohol, or when there is an age difference of 3 or more years.
• Any sexual contact between an adult and a minor, when there is an age difference greater than three years, is considered sexual abuse. This includes non-physical contact such as voyeurism, exposure to pornography, sexual harassment, and exhibitionism.
  

Children who have been sexually abused may have:

• Poor peer relationships, fantasy or infantile behavior, fear of a particular child or adult
• Inappropriate interest in or knowledge of sexual behaviors and terms
• Physical signs of sexual contact such as sexually transmitted infection or pregnancy
• Anxiety, depression, eating disorders, nightmares, substance abuse problems 
• Any of the behavioral problems listed under “Mental Injury” 
• No obvious signs of abuse at all
  

• Don’t want to leave school or go home from a friend or neighbor’s house
• Are constantly tired, hungry or not properly clothed
• Have poor hygiene
• Are left alone with no supervision
• Are exposed to illegal activities such as drug use, theft, and drug trafficking
• Have physical, emotional, developmental or medical needs that are consistently not met
  

Mental Injury is a continuing pattern of rejecting, terrorizing, ignoring, isolating or corrupting a child. It also includes exposure to violence that, while not directed at the child, may impair healthy development.

Children often:

• Have speech or sleep disorders
• Fail to grow normally
• Are very aggressive or withdrawn
• Show an abnormal need for emotional support
  

Threat of Harm is subjecting a child to a substantial risk of harm to the child’s health or welfare, including the presence of domestic violence.