Child Abuse in Today’s Society One of the biggest ironies of a child’s life is that the family - a child’s primary source for love, support, and security - can be the most abusive group that a child belongs to. The significance of the family in American society has been essential to our Nation’s history and tradition. Society assumes that parents act in their child’s best interest. Therefore, parents have the right to care for and protect their own children. When parents cannot meet their child’s needs or protect the child from harm, society has the responsibility to protect the health and safety of the child. Laws that protect animals from unjust cr