Illinois Great Rivers Conference 2025 Journal-Yearbook
defined procedure, conforming to the requirements of Illinois law, for reporting a suspected incident of abuse; and we will be prepared to respond to media inquiries if an incident occurs. Conclusion In all of our ministries with children and vulnerable adults, this conference is committed to demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ. “We will surround each other with a community of love and forgiveness . . . that we may be true disciples who walk in the way that leads to life.” (Adapted from “Baptismal Covenant I,” United Methodist Hymnal, p. 35.) Definitions Abuse is generally categorized in five primary forms, defined below: physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and ritual abuse. (Safe Sanctuaries, p. 29) • Physical Abuse is any deliberate act that inflicts bodily harm to a person. • Emotional Abuse is abuse in which a person exposes another person to spoken and/or unspoken violence or emotional cruelty. Emotional abuse sends a message to the other person that he or she is worthless, bad, unloved, and undeserving of love and care. Youth exposed to emotional abuse may have experienced being de- prived of all parental affection, being locked in closets or other confining spaces, being incessantly told they are bad, or being forced to abuse alcohol or illegal drugs. This type of abuse is difficult to prove and is devastating to the victim. (Safe Sanctuaries, p. 61) • Neglect is failure to provide the proper or necessary nourishment or medically in- dicated treatment or other care necessary for well-being, including adequate food, clothing and shelter; or a child who is abandoned by his or her parents or other person responsible for the child’s welfare without a proper plan of care. (Adapted from 325 ILCS 5/3) • Sexual Abuse is abuse in which sexual contact between a child and an adult (or other older and more powerful youth) occurs. Examples may include fondling, intercourse, incest, and the exploitation of and exposure to child pornography or prostitution. (Safe Sanctuaries, p. 30) • Ritual Abuse is abuse in which physical, sexual, or psychological violations of a child are inflicted regularly, intentionally, and in a stylized way by a person or persons responsible for the child’s welfare. The abuser may appeal to some higher authority or power to justify the abuse. (Safe Sanctuaries, p. 30) Bullying is a form of emotional abuse. It involves intentional, repeated, hurtful acts, words, or other behavior on the part of one or more other individuals. Among children (or youth), bullying may be physical (hitting, or damaging possessions), verbal (name-calling or taunting), emotional (threatening or stalking), or social (spreading rumors or the imposition of isolation). In adults, bullying manifests itself primarily through ongoing harassment and psychological intimidation that happens when one is ridiculed, insulted, degraded, threatened, or slandered. Cyberbullying is bullying utilizing technology (including email, social networking sites, texts, websites, gaming sites, chat rooms, or blogs). Cyberbullying can include disclosure of personal, humiliating, or embarrassing information about another person without permission to share or fraudulent use of another person’s internet accounts. It can also become cyberstalking, in which cyberbullying is carried out in a pattern of events and/or behavior that creates extreme emotional distress over an extended period of time.
318 Historical and Official Information
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