Child maltreatment is a source of great evil in the world, “It’s impossible to find one person who wasn’t beaten who beats a child.”1 When we hear the phrase child maltreatment, we think of sexual or physical maltreatment of the sort that leaves visible damage, such as scars or bruises.
We use euphemistic language such as ‘disciplining’ to acquit parents who beat their children of malicious intent. Daily newspapers write of child abuse when they mean rape. The evening news reports on a family drama when parents executed their children in cold blood. Children who run away from home never have a valid reason, but are always difficult to handle.
