| Alabama |
- The relevant statute defines child abuse as harm or threatened harm of physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional/mental injury against a child under the age of 18.
- The same statute contains an exemption for religious reasons for a parent's failure to obtain medical help for the child, while a court can still order that any child undergo medical treatments or receive medical attention.
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| Alaska |
- The relevant statute defines “child abuse or neglect" as the physical injury or neglect, mental injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or mistreatment of a child under the age of 18 in ways that cause danger to the welfare of that person.
- The same statute refers to "mental injury," as well. This type of injury refers to damage done to the emotional well-being and intellectual or psychological capacity of a child.
- The statute also contains an exemption for religious reasons for a parent's failure to obtain medical help for the child.
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| Arizona |
- The relevant statute defines child abuse as inflicting or allowing physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, emotional or mental injury, or abandonment of a child under the age of 18.
- The same statute contains an exemption for Christian Scientists or unavailability of reasonable resources for a parent's failure to obtain medical help for the child.
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| Arkansas |
- The relevant statute defines abuse in many different ways. An example of how the statutes defines child abuse is as intentionally, knowingly, or negligently without cause inflicting physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment or emotional and mental injuries of a child under the age of 18.
- The same statute also prohibits neglect of a child under the age of 18.
- The statute contains exemptions for poverty or corporal punishment.
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| California |
- The relevant statute defines child abuse as inflicting by non-accidental means physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation of a child under the age of 18.
- The statute contains exemptions for religion, reasonable force, and informed medical decision.
- It also contains an exemption for neglect based on poverty alone.
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| Colorado |
- The relevant statute prohibits threats to a child's health and welfare due to physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, emotional/mental injury, or abandonment. Statute contains exemptions for corporal punishment, reasonable force, religious practices, and cultural practices.
- If the "cultural practice" rises to the level of child abuse, the child's or the child's parent's consent cannot be used as an affirmative defense. Belief in the practice, as a requirement of the victim's or the victim's parent's culture, also cannot be used as an affirmative defense.
- The same statute prohibits the mutilation of children's genitals.
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| Connecticut |
- The relevant statute prohibits injuries inflicted by non-accidental means involving physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, emotional or mental injury, or abandonment.
- The same statute contains an exemption for Christian Scientists and for neglect that occurs as a result of poverty.
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| Delaware |
- The relevant statute prohibits injuries inflicted by non-accidental means involving physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, emotional or mental injury, or abandonment.
- The same statute contains an exemption for religious reasons.
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| District Of Columbia |
- The relevant statute prohibits persons from inflicting injuries on children, involving physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury.
- The same statute also requires people to take reasonable care not to inflict such injuries.
- The statute contains an exemption for poverty and religion.
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| Florida |
- The relevant statute prohibits willful or threatened acts, where there is harm to children as a result of physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment, or emotional or mental injury.
- The same statute also prohibits acts that are likely to cause such harm.
- The statute contains exemptions for religion or poverty.
- The exemption for corporal punishment specifics that the punishment cannot result in harm to the child.
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| Georgia |
- The relevant statute prohibits injuries inflicted by non-accidental means, involving physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation.
- The same statute contains exemptions for religion.
- The exemption for corporal punishment indicates that the punishment cannot cause physical harm to the child.
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| Hawaii |
- The relevant statute prohibits acts or omissions resulting in the child being harmed or subject to any reasonably foreseeable, substantial risk of being harmed with physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury.
- The same statute contains no exemptions.
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| Idaho |
- The relevant statute prohibits conduct or omission resulting in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment, or emotional or mental injury.
- The statute contains an exemption for religion.
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| Illinois |
- The relevant statute prohibits persons from inflicting, causing to be inflicted, or allowing to be inflicted, or creating a substantial risk, or committing or allowing to be committed, physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury.
- The same statute contains exemptions for religion, school attendance, and in cases where a proper plan of care has been put into effect and is being practiced.
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| Indiana |
- The relevant statute prohibits act or omission resulting in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment, or emotional or mental injury.
- The statute contains exemptions for religion.
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| Iowa |
- The relevant statute prohibits intentional infliction of physical injury on a child. It includes such injuries that occur as a result of the acts or omissions of a person responsible for taking care of a child.
- When they are intentionally inflicted, mental or emotional injuries are prohibited under the statute.
- The statute contains an exemption for religion.
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| Kansas |
- The relevant statute prohibits intentional infliction of physical injuries on a child.
- The same statute also prohibits such injuries that are mental or emotional in nature.
- The statute contains no exemptions.
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| Kentucky |
- The relevant statute prohibits harm or threat of harm, or infliction or allowance of infliction of physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment, or emotional or mental injury.
- The statute contains exemptions for religion, while a court can order that any child receive or undergo medical treatment.
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| Louisiana |
- The relevant statute prohibits abuse of a child that endangers the physical, mental or emotional health of that child.
- The same statute also prohibits causing damage or injury to the welfare of a child or jeopardizing the safety of children.
- It prohibits neglect, including prenatal neglect.
- Under the statute, a court may order that any child undergo medical treatment.
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| Maine |
- The relevant statute defines the prohibited activities as abuse or neglect, when that abuse or neglect causes danger or injury to the physical, mental or emotional well-being of a child.
- The same statute prohibits sexual abuse or exploitation of children, while it also prohibits depriving children of essential needs.
- It qualifies a caretaker's failure to provide protection from such abuse or neglect as a prohibited act.
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| Maryland |
- The relevant statute prohibits harm or substantial risk of harm in conduct toward children, where the conduct results in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury.
- The statute contains no exemptions.
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| Massachusetts |
- The relevant statute prohibits a child's caretake from engaging in conduct that causes physical or emotional injury to a child or constitutes a sexual offense under the laws of Massachusetts.
- It also prohibits a child's caretake from engaging in conduct that creates a substantial risk of of such injury or the occurrence of sexual offenses.
- The same statute also prohibits sexual contact between a parent, guardian, caretaker and a child under 18.
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| Michigan |
- The relevant statute prohibits harm or threatened harm of physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury on a child.
- The same statute contains exemptions for corporal punishment, as long as the punishment is "reasonable."
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| Minnesota |
- The relevant statute prohibits physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children, as well as neglect of children.
- The same statute contains exemptions for religion, as well as cultural practices, under a few circumstances. For more information, consider reviewing the official text of the statute.
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| Mississippi |
- The relevant statute prohibits neglecting, sexually abusing, sexually exploiting, or emotional or mentally injuring children.
- The same statute also prohibits a child's caretaker from failing to intervene in any of the prohibited activities.
- It also contains an exemption for corporal punishment. However, the corporal punishment must not result in serious bodily harm.
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| Missouri |
- The relevant statutes prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The statutes features no exemptions.
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| Montana |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The statute features no exemptions.
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| Nebraska |
- The relevant statute prohibits knowingly, intentionally, or negligently causing or permitting physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury to children.
- The same statute contains no exemptions.
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| Nevada |
- The relevant statute prohibits abusing, neglecting, or endangering children.
- The same statute contains no exemptions.
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| New Mexico |
- The relevant statute prohibits knowingly, intentionally, or negligently causing or permitting physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and abandonment of children.
- It also prohibits neglect of children.
- The same statute contains an exemption for some types of conduct that occur in the course of executing religious rituals, practices, and beliefs.
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| New York |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The same statute prohibits neglect.
- The statute does not contain exemptions of any kind.
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| North Dakota |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically abusing, neglecting, sexually abusing, sexually exploiting, abandoning, or emotionally or mentally injuring a child.
- The statute contains no exemptions.
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| North Carolina |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing a child.
- The same statute prohibits the human trafficking of children, while it also prohibits neglect, as well.
- The statute features no exemptions.
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| Oklahoma |
- The relevant statute prohibits harm or threat of harm resulting in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment, or emotional or mental injury.
- The same statute contains exemptions for religion or corporal punishment.
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| Ohio |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The same statute also prohibits neglect.
- It features no exemptions.
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| Pennsylvania |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically abusing, neglecting, sexually abusing, sexually exploiting, or emotionally or mentally injuring children.
- The same statute prohibits failures to intervene in the prohibited activities listed above.
- The statute contains exemptions for religion or poverty. If there is a question of a child requiring medical assistance or attention within the scope of a possible exemption for religion or poverty, a court can order that any child receive medical attention or assistance regardless of any objection from the child's caretaker. The exemption doesn't apply if the child dies.
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| Rhode Island |
- The relevant statute prohibits a child's caretaker from physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The same statute also prohibits neglecting children.
- The statute features no exemptions.
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| South Carolina |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The same statute prohibits neglect.
- The statute features no exemptions.
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| South Dakota |
- The relevant statute prohibits physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, abandonment, and emotional or mental injury.
- The statute contains no exemptions.
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| Tennessee |
- The relevant statute prohibits persons from committing or allowing to be committed physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional or mental injury of or to children.
- The statute contains no exemptions.
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| Texas |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, and sexually abusing children.
- The same statute prohibits neglect.
- The statute features no exemptions.
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| Utah |
- The relevant statute prohibits harm or threat of harm resulting in physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, or emotional/mental injury.
- It also prohibits neglect.
- The statute contains exemptions for religion.
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| Vermont |
- The relevant statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The statute prohibits neglect, as well.
- The statute contains no exemptions.
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| Virginia |
- The statute prohibits physically, emotionally, or sexually abusing children.
- The same statute also prohibits neglect.
- The statutes does not feature any exemptions.
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| Washington |
- The relevant statute prohibits harm to children of health, welfare, or safety resulting from physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation.
- The statute contains exemptions for Christian Scientists and corporal punishment.
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| West Virginia |
- The relevant statute prohibits emotional abuse of children.
- It also prohibits physical and sexual abuse of children.
- The same statute prohibits neglect of children.
- The statute features no exemptions.
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| Wisconsin |
- The statute prohibits physically abusing children.
- It also prohibits sexual and emotional abuse, as well as neglect.
- The statute does not contain exemptions.
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| Wyoming |
- The relevant statute defines child abuse as inflicting or causing of physical or mental injury, harm or imminent danger to the physical or mental health or welfare of a child.
- The same statute further requires that the prohibited acts must be intentional, and the statute does not include activities that occur by other by accidental means.
- The activities falling within the scope of "accidental means" include abandonment, excessive or unreasonable corporal punishment, malnutrition, intentional or unintentional neglect, or the commission of a sexual offense.
- The statute contains an exemption for religion.
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