Any daycare abuse law firm attorney can tell you that abuse takes many forms. Likewise, any law enforcement professional would be able to tell you about forms of abuse that you didn’t know existed. Where day care abuse is concerned, most parents cringe at the word “abuse” as it’s generally imagined to involve sexual exploitation and abuse of children at some point. This isn’t the only type of abuse that happens, however. There are forms of abuse that are far more subtle, very difficult to detect and that are sometimes deliberately designed to prevent the child from telling anyone. Below are some common ones.
- Secrets: No day care provider has the right to ask a child to keep a secret of any kind. There is no reason a barrier between parent and child should ever be put up by one of these facilities. Secret-keeping usually ends up in the same place, and it’s not a good one.
- Verbal Abuse: One of the most damaging types of abuse, unfortunately, leaves no marks. Oftentimes, the only signs are changes in the child’s personality. It can take years of therapy to repair the damage wrought by verbal abusers.
- Singling out/Discrimination: Children should never be made to feel as “the other” for any reason; not because of anything about them and not because of anything about their parents. This sort of abuse leaves very deep scars and is usually verbal.
- Threats: Sometimes, abusers threaten children in order to keep them quiet. Some of the more sadistic cases of this practice include an instance where a worker at a day care center threatened to kill the day care center’s pet turtle if any of his victims spoke. Abusers are sicker and crueler in this regard than most people can imagine.
You and your child both have a right to expect quality, compassionate and healthy day care providers. When they’re not, you need to call law enforcement and an attorney. Just as is the case with your child, you’re not doing anyone a favor by keeping quiet. Abuse is like cancer: the sooner it is found out, the better the results for its victims. There are good lawyers who can help make sure your child’s rights and your rights are honored. Oftentimes a abuse in daycare attorney will have experience dealing with similar cases, and can offer real help to your family.