South Carolina Statutory Definitions:

• Child abuse or neglect: when a parent or guardian inflicts or allows the infliction of physical or mental injury upon a child or engages in an act or omission that places the child in substantial risk of physical or mental injury (including excessive corporal punishment); commits or allows the commission of a sexual offense against a child or puts them at substantial risk through engaging in an act or omission, fails to supply adequate food, clothing, shelter, education, or supervision; abandons the child, encourages, condones, or approved the commission of delinquent acts, commits or allows the commission against a child female genital mutation or engages in acts or omissions that put the child at substantial risk. Or when a child is a victim of trafficking.
• Institutional Child Abuse and Neglect: situations of known or suspected child abuse or neglect where the person responsible for the child is the employee of a public or private residential home, institution, or agency.
• Abandonment of a Child: when a parent or guardian willfully deserts a child or willfully surrenders physical possession of a child without making adequate arrangements for the child’s needs or continued care.
• Mental Injury: an injury of intellectual, emotional, or psychological capacity or functioning, evidenced by a discernable or substantial impairment of the child’s ability to function and when the existence of the impairment is supported by the opinion of a mental health professional or medical professional
• Physical injury: death or permanent or temporary disfigurement or impairment of any bodily organ or function

South Carolina schools are required to provide annual age-appropriate instruction in sexual abuse and assault awareness and prevention to all students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This instruction must be based on the units developed by the board.

Schools are expected to ensure that staff understand the signs of abuse and how to report suspected abuse promptly. While the statute does not prescribe specific prevention curricula for schools, many school districts implement training and child protection policies to meet professional practice standards and support compliance with reporting laws.

(Source: South Carolina Legislature Section 63-7-20, Section 59-32-20(B) and Section 59-32-30(G), South Carolina DOE Erin’s Law)

Child abuse and neglect costs South Carolina approximately $74 billion a year due to lower wages, higher workplace absenteeism, and higher medical costs. Studies show that childhood trauma can lead to higher medical expenses, increased rates of unemployment, homelessness, substance abuse and lower lifetime earnings. Given this, people who have experienced childhood trauma earn, on average, 14% less an those who have not experienced childhood trauma. Therefore, there is a great economic and workforce impact in South Carolina as a result of child abuse int he state.

In South Carolina, more than 57% of adults report having had at least one adverse childhood experience. Just in the past year 13,290 children in South Carolina have been part of substantiated investigations of child abuse and neglect, and nearly 250 children die each year from preventable deaths.

South Carolina is ranked 34th in the US for the rate of childhood abuse
and neglect.

(Source: Children’s Trust of South Carolina, Estimating Economic Impact of Child Abuse/Neglect in SC)