POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 53 Child abuse and neglect Child abuse includes physical, sexual and emotional abuse. It also includes neglect, and any violence that children see or hear in their families. The person who abuses the child can be: • a parent • a brother or sister • another relative • a caregiver • a guardian • a teacher • another professional or volunteer who works with children (for example, a doctor or coach) Abuse may take place in a child's home, or it may happen in other places, like other people's homes, schools, community centres or places of worship. Laws to protect children There are federal, provincial and territorial laws to protect children from abuse in the home. Some types of abuse are crimes and are listed in the Criminal Code which is a federal law that applies across Canada. Even if the abuse is not a crime under the Criminal Code, provincial and territorial child protection laws could be used to stop the abuse. There are also special laws to protect children from sexual abuse and from sexual activities that exploit them. Child sexual abuse happens when a person takes advantage of a child for sexual purposes. Sexual abuse of a child includes: • any sexual contact between an adult and a child under 16 years of age • any sexual contact with a child between the age of 16 and 18 without consent • any sexual contact that exploits a child under 18 Any sexual contact between an adult and a child under 16 is a crime. In Canada, the age of consent for sexual activity is 16, but there are some exceptions if the other person is close in age to the child. In addition, children under 18 cannot legally give their consent to sexual activity that exploits them. Sexual activities that exploit a child include prostitution and pornography. They also include situations where someone in a position of authority or trust, or someone the child depends on, has any kind of sexual activity with the child. A person of authority or trust could be a parent, stepparent, grandparent, older sibling, teacher or coach. If a child is sexually abused at home, child protection services could intervene and remove the child from his or her parents. What is family violence? continued continued Designed by Freepik
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