Child Abuse And Neglect

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a review of several of the major findings and debates in the child abuse and neglect (CAN) field while framing CAN as a major social problem. The chapter begins with a brief historical review, and then moves to a discussion surrounding the definitions, recent epidemiological findings, and risk factors. Technology and sexual exploitation are examined and several sociological perspectives are compared and contrasted. A brief discussion of genocide and CAN is presented. Finally, the current status and debates surrounding interventions, prevention, and practices are explored along with a discussion of the risks of the criminalization and medicalization of CAN