CSSM MB Summer Missionary Manual - Abuse 3
Understanding Abuse
Prevention of abuse requires measures to ensure that power is used properly, human dignity is regarded, trust is not betrayed and relationships have integrity.
You will discover that 'child abuse' and 'child* are defined differently by each Canadian province. (For ease of reference we will refer to the Manitoba legislation.) The Manitoba Child and Family Services Act states that a child is in need of protection if he or she:
• Is without adequate care, supervision or control;
• is in the care, custody, control or charge of a person
a) who is unable or unwilling to provide adequate care, supervision or control of the child, or
b) whose conduct endangers or might endanger the life, health or emotional well-being of the child, or
c) who neglects or refuses to provide or obtain proper medical or other remedial care or treatment necessary for the health or well- being of the child, or who refuses to permit such care or treatment to be provided to the child when the care or treatment is recommended by a duly qualified medical practitioner;
• is abused or is in danger of being abused;
• is beyond the control of a person who has the care, custody, control or charge of the child;
• is likely to suffer harm or injury due to the behaviour, condition, domestic environment or associations of the child or of a person having care, custody, control or charge of the child;
• is subjected to aggression or sexual harassment that endangers the life, health or emotional well-being of the child;
• being under the age of 12 years, is left unattended and without reasonable provision being made for the supervision and safety of the child; or
• is the subject, or is about to become the subject, of an unlawful adoption under Section 63 or of an unlawful sale under Section 84.
(Child Protection and Child Abuse: Protocols For Social Workers, Manitoba Family Services, February 1995, p. 3)