What is considered Child abuse?

Question

My girlfriend is 17 going on 18 in a month or so, and her mom forces her to do everything. her mom makes he clean the whole house do all the laundry. She also makes he do stuff for her, such as my gf was upstairs so her mom called her on her cell phone, and had her come down get the remote 2 feet away on the table for her, her mom also put her and her 11 year old sister together in a room. Note: neither of them even have beds. my gf sleeps on a mattress with blankets. and my gf's sister sleep on box spring and mattress my gf does have stuff like phone and computer. no drivers license. her mom also makes her pay for a bill when she didn't even have a phone. About the whole cleaning thing. Her mom will threaten to ground her if the house isn't clean. she does like 3 loads of laundry a day, cleans the house. takes out dogs. does dishes. even sometimes cook. her mom recently lost her job, and didnt do anything around the house an still doesn't.

I'm just wondering does this count as and form of child abuse at all or it this just a bad parent

Answer 1

It's crappy and questionable parenting, but not actual child abuse.

If it's that bad you could contact CPS, and they can evaluate it for themselves, but I don't think they would do much.

Answer 2

I don't think it's child abuse...just bad parenting. She is almost 18 though...she can get out of that place!

She can also try to get custody of her sister by proving bad parenting on her mothers part. I know it sounds hard, being only 18 with the responsibility of an 11 year old but it can be done...

Answer 3

your girlfriend is able to leave home. she is old enough and should stand up for herself, really she is not a child and her mums just a *****.

Answer 4

Sounds like a case of lazy parenting!! But it could also be a case of child neglect.  It is a hard one, it doesnt sound fair on your sister that she should being doing practically EVERYTHING around the house. Best to talk to a professional like a Department of Child abuse or ask your gf to talk to someone like a realtive or someone close to see what they think.

Sorry i couldnt be of more help.

Good luck to your gf and her sis!  

Answer 5

if you think this is abuse, instead of asking on the internet, call the social services and ask... each local services have a different way to evaluate it, you can not have a real answer on the net...

you could face here some ethnic values where kids are exploited and it could be ok for the adult point of view... the other way is also possible, you could think it is dangerous, but mainly you just care...

actually, what you write is close to abuse in america... but you are the judge on this...

Answer 6

Well, I mean, it's understandable that her mom wants her to do some things around the house. I did those same things when I lived with my parents. The thing about the remote sounds kind of ridiculous. Is her mom verbally/physically abusive? If not, then I don't think it's abuse. Maybe her mother is just depressed over losing her job? She should do more around the house than her daughter does, but I guess some parents can be like that. If your girlfriend is the only one doing the cleaning, then something is wrong-her mother is supposed to do some things-she *is* home all day, and *is* a mother. It's not abuse, but it doesn't sound very fair.

Answer 7

Well she is 18 she will be a big girl soon so she will have to do this on her own. How does she get to work if she is paying bills and no license does the mother take her?