For the purposes of this chapter, the term—

(1) “Bureau” means the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior;

(2) “child” means an individual who—

(A) is not married, and

(B) has not attained 18 years of age;


(3) “child abuse” includes but is not limited to—

(A) any case in which—

(i) a child is dead or exhibits evidence of skin bruising, bleeding, malnutrition, failure to thrive, burns, fracture of any bone, subdural hematoma, soft tissue swelling, and

(ii) such condition is not justifiably explained or may not be the product of an accidental occurrence; and


(B) any case in which a child is subjected to sexual assault, sexual molestation, sexual exploitation, sexual contact, or prostitution;


(4) “child neglect” includes but is not limited to, negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child by a person, including a person responsible for the child’s welfare, under circumstances which indicate that the child’s health or welfare is harmed or threatened thereby;

(5) “family violence” means any act, or threatened act, of violence, including any forceful detention of an individual, which—

(A) results, or threatens to result, in physical or mental injury, and

(B) is committed by an individual against another individual—

(i) to whom such person is, or was, related by blood or marriage or otherwise legally related, or

(ii) with whom such person is, or was, residing;


(6) “Indian” means any individual who is a member of an Indian tribe;

(7) “Indian child” has the meaning given to such term by section 1903(4) of this title;

(8) “Indian country” has the meaning given to such term by section 1151 of title 18;

(9) “Indian reservation” means any Indian reservation, public domain Indian allotment, former Indian reservation in Oklahoma, or lands held by incorporated Native groups, regional corporations, or village corporations under the provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.);

(10) “Indian tribe” and “tribal organization” have the respective meanings given to each of such terms under section 5304 of this title;

(11) “inter-tribal consortium” means a partnership between—

(A) an Indian tribe or tribal organization of an Indian tribe, and

(B) one or more Indian tribes or tribal organizations of one or more other Indian tribes;


(12) “local child protective services agency” means that agency of the Federal Government, of a State, or of an Indian tribe that has the primary responsibility for child protection on any Indian reservation or within any community in Indian country;

(13) “local law enforcement agency” means that Federal, tribal, or State law enforcement agency that has the primary responsibility for the investigation of an instance of alleged child abuse within the portion of Indian country involved;

(14) “persons responsible for a child’s welfare” means any person who has legal or other recognized duty for the care and safety of a child, including—

(A) any employee or volunteer of a children’s residential facility, and

(B) any person providing out-of-home care, education, or services to children;


(15) “related assistance”—

(A) includes counseling and self-help services to abusers, victims, and dependents in family violence situations (which shall include counseling of all family members to the extent feasible) and referrals for appropriate health-care services (including alcohol and drug abuse treatment), and

(B) may include food, clothing, child care, transportation, and emergency services for victims of family violence and their dependents;


(16) “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior;

(17) “shelter” means the provision of temporary refuge and related assistance in compliance with applicable Federal and tribal laws and regulations governing the provision, on a regular basis, of shelter, safe homes, meals, and related assistance to victims of family violence or their dependents; and

(18) “Service” means the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Terms Used In 25 USC 3202

  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7