Abstract
Following a brief account of the evolution of our current understanding and practices with respect to child maltreatment, child abuse and neglect are defined as actions and omissions that avoidably cause children significant suffering or impair their development of basic physical, intellectual, and emotional capacities. Since children’s suffering and the basic capacities that are impaired may be physical or mental, abuse and neglect may be physical or emotional. Justifications for assignments of responsibility to care for children are discussed, along with a variety of proactive measures to prevent avoidable harms and reactive measures to respond to evidence of maltreatment. Attention is paid throughout to the impact of bias on child protection practices intended to prevent or respond to abuse and neglect.
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Further Readings
Bauer, K. A. (2004). Covert video surveillance of parents suspected of child abuse: The British experience and alternative approaches. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics: Philosophy of Medical Research and Practice, 25(4), 311–327.
Cooley, D. R. (2009). Environmental tobacco smoke as child abuse or endangerment: A case for expanded regulation. Public Affairs Quarterly, 23(3), 181–201.
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Weinstock, D., & Wispelaere, J. (2012). Licensing parents to protect our children? Ethics and Social Welfare, 6(2), 195–205.
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Mullin, A. (2016). Abuse: Child Abuse. In: ten Have, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09483-0_2
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