Although things like that aren’t talked about in real life as often as they are in TV shows and movies, child abuse itself is real and does happen. According to the Department of Justice Canada, child abuse is “the violence, mistreatment or neglect that a child or adolescent may experience while in the care of someone they either trust or depend on, such as a parent, sibling, other relative, caregiver or guardian.” This means that in the case of child abuse, the offender is someone the child or young person relies on, not a stranger, as is often portrayed in the popular media. Because of this misconception, child abuse is not always reported. Too often what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.

There are four main kinds of child abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect, and emotional abuse, not to mention any combination of these. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse in Canada, with it being the main reason for investigation in 40% of all cases, according to the Public Heath Agency of Canada in 2003 (p 41).

But what is neglect? The Department of Justice says that neglect “involves failing to provide what a child needs for his or her physical, psychological or emotional development and well being.  For example, neglect includes failing to provide a child with food, clothing, shelter, cleanliness, medical care or protection from harm” and this usually occurs repeatedly over time.

This definition fits with the Merriam-Webster Online definition of neglect: “ 1. to give little attention or respect, to disregard; 2. to leave undone or unattended to, especially through carelessness.” In the case of neglect as a form of child abuse, the guardian disregards the needs (physical, emotional or otherwise) of the child, often by leaving them unattended or uncared for.

Child neglect doesn’t just happen to children. According to Canadian law, a guardian is required to provide the necessities of life for youth under the age of 16. When a guardian that has such duties fails to provide these necessities, whether to a child or a youth under the age of 16, without a reasonable explanation, he or she is able to be punished by law. Thus, a teenager younger than 16, can also suffer neglect.

Just as there are different kinds of child abuse, there are different kinds of neglect. There is medical neglect, which involves not providing a child or youth with the necessary medical treatment to survive. There is emotional neglect, which involves not providing a child or young person with love and a sense of value and security. There is faulty supervision resulting in physical or sexual harm, which means that because the child or youth was not adequately supervised, the child/youth was hurt physically or sexually. There is abandonment, which occurs when the caregiver cannot properly care for the child or youth, or dies and has not made adequate arrangements for the child’s care. There is even educational neglect, which involves the caregiver knowing that the child/youth has been missing school for a long period of time and doing nothing about it, or keeping the child/youth from going to school over time.

This list is not all-inclusive, but I think you get the point: neglect occurs when the primary caregiver or guardian overlooks the needs of the child or youth. A young person needs and is entitled to all of these things for healthy development (emotional support, medical care, education, food and so on) and to become an active participant in her/his community. You should always have a home and feel safe in your home and with your parent or guardian. Child abuse of any kind, including neglect, is never the child or youth’s fault, no matter what anyone says.

Child abuse is a very complex and serious issue. There is not any one factor that causes neglect specifically or child abuse in general. There isn’t even a specific combination of factors that lead to it. The bottom line: anyone can be abused and anyone can abuse. In fact, at the beginning of March 2006, the Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, spoke to British Columbia residents during a lunch in Victoria about her childhood experience of abuse (as reported by ctv.ca). When she was a child, she saw her father physically abusing her mother. During her speech, she highlighted the importance of speaking out about abuse and not being embarrassed about it. Her father, who has since re-married, has seen the error of his past abusiveness and is now a loving grandfather to Jean’s daughter. Her speech holds a very important message: we should not be ashamed of abuse in our families, and talking about it is an important step in the right direction.

As you can see, abuse doesn’t have to mean being physically hurtful towards another person. With neglect, sometimes a big part of it is the lack of human contact (like hugs in emotional neglect, for example). It is very important to report any abuse to someone who can help you, such as an adult you trust, an anonymous help line like the Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868), or the police, in order to end the abuse. No one deserves to be abused. 

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