Neglect means to leave uncared for or to leave undone.

Neglect may also refer to:

• Child neglect, is a category of maltreatment related to child abuse, when the biological parent(s) or legally assigned adult(s) fail to provide for the proper physical care needs of their dependent children. The neglect of children is generally about three times more common than physical abuse and about six times more common than sexual abuse. (These numbers are available yearly from the United States Centers for Disease Control, where these statistics are compiled.)
• Elder neglect
• Professional negligence by health and education staff
• Criminal negligence where the criminal law holds people at fault for their failures to act
• Hemispatial neglect which is a neurological condition.
• Negligence and the law which is where the civil law requires those at fault to compensate their victims

The penalty for an official failing to protect a civilian from theft or harm is death.

See also

• Social behavior