Tools For Fighting Childhood Overweight And Obesity Exist And Are Underused - Position Statement
The Child
Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (Jan. 1996 version), 42 U.S.C. 5101,
et seq., which essentially sets the pattern for the child abuse statutes in all 50 states,
already contains means for combating nutritional child abuse, which includes
childhood overweight and obesity.
Per CAPTA, “the term ‘child abuse and neglect’ means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”
In accordance with CAPTA, overweight or obese children are physically harmed, e.g., by illnesses such as Type II diabetes, asthma, hypertension and orthopedic disorders; at a higher risk of death from the complications of these and other physical harms; and are emotionally harmed, e.g., through ridicule and social ostracism.
It is clear that childhood overweight and obesity are forms of child abuse. They are nutritional child abuse at the opposite end of the spectrum from starvation.
It is also clear that nutritional child abuse is the most common form of known child abuse.
To comply with CAPTA, each state has designated appropriate authorities for handling the matter of child abuse.
Tools For Fighting Childhood Overweight And Obesity Exist And Are Underused - Advocacy Letter
Child abuse is wrong. We should all be opposed to it. We should do what we can to prevent it.
I assume that you are in agreement with these principles.
The most common form of child abuse of which we are aware is nutritional child abuse.
Specifically, this most frequently takes the forms of childhood overweight and obesity.
CAPTA, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (Jan. 1996 version), 42 U.S.C. 5101, et seq., states “the term ‘child abuse and neglect’ means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”
Overweight or obese children are physically harmed, e.g., by illnesses such as Type II diabetes, asthma, hypertension and orthopedic disorders; at a higher risk of death from the complications of these and other physical harms; and are emotionally harmed, e.g., through ridicule and social ostracism.
Clearly, overweight and obese children suffer from child abuse.
To comply with CAPTA, each state has designated appropriate authorities for handling the matter of child abuse.
I expect the following from you:
A clear and immediate public declaration that childhood overweight and obesity are forms of child abuse
Action without delay that results in a thorough evaluation of each state's compliance with CAPTA by reviewing state efforts to prevent nutritional child abuse and help those who are the victims of nutritional child abuse
Immediate cessation of fund disbursement and return of funds if a state is found to have acted in violation of CAPTA by failing to utilize already existing tools to prevent nutritional child abuse or punish nutritional child abusers and those complicit in the nutritional abuse of children
Thank you for your attention to this important, life-saving matter.