Prevention of Child Abuse commenced under Prevent of Cruelty to Animals laws....

At a time when there were no laws to protect children from cruelty and other forms of abuse,
the existing laws for prevention of cruelty to animals were used to protect a child...

Check this out...

https://www.theawarenesscenter.org/HistoryChildAbuse.html

I don't understand how people can be so cruel to their own children. I have a hard time killing a bug. How can they torture their children? It is so sad that animals were protected before children.

It is not the whole answer but some abusers where themselves abused, and
some abusers see their children not as people, but as property to do with as
they wish....

Beating children is also a one type of abuse. To what extent can we beat our children to dicipline them?

I think Pedophiles should get the death penalty.