Relating to child torture and abused children

This bill creates a new criminal offense called "child torture" in West Virginia law, targeting caregivers, parents, or others with a duty of protection who intentionally or recklessly subject a child under their care to severe physical or psychological acts. It defines torture as including acts like breaking limbs, inflicting prolonged pain, depriving food/water for unreasonable periods, sexual abuse, or terrorizing the child to cause significant emotional distress. The bill establishes felony penalties: 1-5 years in prison if no bodily injury occurs, and 2-10 years if bodily injury results. It directly affects individuals in positions of trust over children, such as parents, guardians, or custodians, by imposing specific criminal consequences for documented severe abuse.