近年來，兒少虐待事件頻傳，每當發生相關事件時，社會大眾除了感到震驚外，更多的是感到心疼與不捨。兒童及少年相較於成年人而言，心智與自我保護能力較為弱小，又兒少關乎著國家未來之發展，故有特別保護之必要。
在台灣，透過「兒童及少年福利與權益保障法」之規範，能第一時間通報疑似兒虐之案件，此為發現兒虐案件之第一步，並依此以利後續社工進行調查及相關安置計畫。另外，依刑法第286條之凌虐兒少罪，將以凌虐或其他不法手段對待兒少，並足以妨害其身心健全或發育之行為人以本罪相繩。其中，值得探討的是關於凌虐一詞之定義，實務上對於凌虐行為是否具有持續性採不同之看法，故有探究之必要，亦為本文所欲探究之重點。
論及凌虐兒少，其不難與家庭暴力問題相連結。在「家庭暴力防治法」中的保護令制度，便是為了保護特定人等，避免其再次受到家庭暴力之不法侵害。此外，實務上之凌虐兒少案件中，不乏存在許多使兒少施用毒品之案例，此情形便與「毒品危害防制條例」中之使人施用毒品罪相關。由以上可知，兒少所受到之不法侵害態樣多變，與其相關之法制亦相當多元。故本文將以刑法第286條為主軸，探究凌虐兒少罪之罪質，並延伸討論與分析其他相關之法規範。
In recent years, there have been frequent incidents of child abuse, and whenever such events occur, the general public not only feels shocked but also deeply saddened. Compared to adults, children and youths are more vulnerable in terms of their mental and self-protective capabilities. Furthermore, the well-being of children and youths is closely tied to the future development of a nation, making it essential to provide them with special protection.
In Taiwan, “The Protection of Children and Youths Welfare and Rights Act” provides regulations for the immediate reporting of suspected child abuse cases. This serves as the first step in identifying cases of child abuse, enabling subsequent social work investigations and relevant placement plans. Additionally, under Article 286 of the Criminal Code, the crime of maltreatment of minors encompasses the act of treating children or youths with cruelty or other unlawful means that are sufficient to impair their physical and mental well-being or development. It is worth exploring the definition of "maltreatment" and whether it is considered to have a continuous nature in judicial practice, as different issue of law exist. This is an important point to be examined in this article.
When discussing the maltreatment of minors, it is closely linked to the issue of domestic violence. The protective order system in the “Domestic Violence Prevention Act” is designed to protect specific individuals and prevent them from being subjected to further unlawful harm from domestic violence. Furthermore, in judicial practices of maltreatment of minors, there are often instances involving the use of drugs by children or youths. This situation is related to the offense of inducing drug use as stipulated in the “Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act.” From the above, it is evident that the ways of unlawful harm inflicted on children and youths are diverse, and the relevant legal norms are also varied. Therefore, this article will focus on Article 286 of the Criminal Code to explore the nature of the crime of maltreatment of minors and extend the discussion to analyze other relevant legal regulations.
