ABSTRACT
Child maltreatment refers to any harm done to a child. This refers to physical abuse, psychological abuse or verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, and abandonment. Ideas of parental intent and the difference between spanking, or physical punishment, and abuse are discussed in this chapter. This chapter defines the various forms of child abuse and child neglect and discusses laws surrounding child maltreatment. Cultural practices that are considered abusive universally include child marriage, female genital mutilation, son preference, honor killing, and virginity testing. Cultural practices that are accepted can include traditional medicine, sleeping arrangements, and a departure from the nuclear family. This chapter places an emphasis on multiculturalism in maltreatment assessment and discusses the difference between cultural relativism and universalism.
