History Main / WouldHurtAChild

* [[WouldHurtAChild/AnimatedFilms Films – Animated]]

'''Important Note''': This trope is about '''adults physically hurting children, or deliberately placing them in life-threatening situations''', fatally or not. '''The following are not examples''': psychological/verbal abuse ([[AbusiveParents very common]] but [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant not that trope]]), abduction (only applies if the child dies or gets effectively hurt), depriving a child of food (that's DeniedFoodAsPunishment and only counts as this trope if taken to the point where the child is at risk of serious harm from lack of food), child on child violence (unless adults are forcing the children to hurt each other, that's KidsAreCruel), exploitation for profit by the parents if they aren't hurt (that is FinancialAbuse). Violence to teenagers, with the exception of some of those in their early teens, isn't an example either since teenagers are physically [[TruthInTelevision stronger]] than children and lack the "completely defenseless" element, especially if TeensAreMonsters. However, teenagers harming children applies.

There is also an interesting DoubleStandard when it comes to characters applying for this trope, since they are almost AlwaysMale. %%(Oddly enough, this is not representative of real life, as women are more likely to abuse children than men, probably because they are around children more in general).%%

In Western works, this trope is rare and almost always done off-panel when played straight (read: when the violence towards the child isn't being [[BigDamnHeroes stopped in the nick of time]] and causes actual damage) largely due to [[ThinkOfTheCensors broadcast standards]]; it's a little more common in literature but still not very much so. In Japanese fiction, child brutality can be more common but is often framed in a very specific way (again, to conform to ''their'' [=S&P=]) and has actually faded somewhat in the new millenium over content concerns.

And want to go all the way? Make the children {{creepy|Child}} or, even better, make them {{Enfant Terrible|}}s and, this time, hurting said children will look much less as a MoralEventHorizon crossing, even though there will always be some MoralGuardians or PapaWolf / MamaBear to complain. This may also be done by a CompleteMonster to establish that even a villain [[EvenEvilHasStandards has lines they won't dare cross]]. Naturally, the FriendToAllChildren sees this type of character as a mortal enemy, with an exception sometimes for religious figures in some cases.

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Theatre/{{Medea}} Cursed children of a hateful mother—]][[OffingTheOffspring may you die with your father and his house!]]"]]

* While many of the wrestlers of Wonder Ring STARDOM would not have been considered legal adults at the time, nine year old HARUKA being put against men near their physical prime like Kenny Omega took the cake. Ice Ribbon did similar with Riho, who was ''eight''.

-->-- '''Sol Badguy''' (to an unconscious May), ''[[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Guilty Gear Xrd]]''

* An infamous instance came during an episode of WWE ''Smackdown!'' in 2004, when – during a storyline involving Lita, Matt Hardy and their baby – Gene Snitsky brought a wrapped towel to the ring while Lita was in the ring, claiming it was Lita's baby. After taunting Lita with harm toward the baby, he took the towel, dropped it and then punted it into the crowd.

[[caption-width-right:350:"[[Theatre/{{Medea}} Cursed children of a hateful mother—may you die with your father and his house!]]"]]

** God Himself kills the firstborn of Egypt as one of the Ten Plagues, as well as David and Bathsheba's firstborn. In His case, it's given the justification of OmniscientMoralityLicense, which means that God would simply be taking them to a [[{{Heaven}} better place]].
** Regarding the death of David and Bathsheba's firstborn, David became the TropeNamer for the UriahGambit by abusing his Kingly authority to [[MurderTheHypotenuse murder Bathsheba's husband]] in order to make her available. Nathan the prophet strongly implied that had David not repented for this sin, ''David himself'' would have died instead of his firstborn son (who was the product of David's adultery with Bathsheba). Because ''someone'' had to pay with their life for David's sin[[note]]In Christian theology, there is no redemption from sin without the shedding of blood: this is the reason why the Son of God died on the cross for all sins later on.[[/note]] and since David repented, the child had to pay. Because David had more or less raped Bathsheba, that was why ''she'' wasn't killed.

* Some culprits in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' set their murderous sights on younger people, although their age usually never drops below teenage years. The youngest victim, [[spoiler:Vera Misham,]] having been 12 when [[spoiler: Kristoph Gavin gave her poisoned nail polish (though she didn't actually use it until she was 19, and although it was a close shave, she did survive).]] And then there's prosecutor [[{{Slimeball}} Gaspen Payne]], who encourages the judge to give Albi Ur'gaid, a ''nine-year-old boy,'' the '''death penalty''' because he wants Phoenix Wright to suffer the same fate under the [[LoonyLaws Defence Culpability Act]]. The only child to actually be murdered in the series is a victim of spree killer Joe Darke in the backstory of the first game's fifth case.

* Some culprits in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' set their murderous sights on younger people, although their age usually never drops below teenage years, the youngest victim, [[spoiler: Vera Misham,]] having been 12 when [[spoiler: Kristoph Gavin gave her poisoned nail polish (though she didn't actually use it until she was 19, and although it was a close shave, she did survive).]] And then there's prosecutor [[{{Slimeball}} Gaspen Payne]], who encourages the judge to give Albi Ur'gaid, a ''nine-year-old boy,'' the '''death penalty''' because he wants Phoenix Wright to suffer the same fate under the [[LoonyLaws Defence Culpability Act]].

** The title character in ''Theatre/RichardIII'' is responsible for condemning his nephews to death in the Tower of London, a popular real-life historical theory as well.

*** Not just implied with Macbeth, who has assassins murder Macduff's wife and young son. His wife is horrified by this, though not because of the children — it screws up her political machinations. That said, those particular murders do feature among the things she [[MadnessMantra mentions]] in the [[OutDamnedSpot infamous]] [[FreakOut sleepwalking scene.]]

* Some culprits in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' set their murderous sights on younger people, although their age usually never drops below teenage years, the youngest victim, [[spoiler: Vera Misham,]] having been 12 when [[spoiler: Kristoph Gavin]] gave her poisoned nail polish (though she didn't actually use it until she was 19, and although it was a close shave, she did survive). And then there's prosecutor [[{{Slimeball}} Gaspen Payne]], who encourages the judge to give Albi Ur'gaid, a ''nine-year-old boy,'' the '''death penalty''' because he wants Phoenix Wright to suffer the same fate under the [[LoonyLaws Defence Culpability Act]].

* ''Literature/HanselAndGretel'': The Witch [[spoiler: tries to eat Hansel and Gretel]].
** Hansel and Gretel was originally set around a great famine, and their parents [[spoiler: deliberately]] lose Hansel and Gretel in the woods so they could conserve food for themselves.

* In ''Theatre/PokemonLive'', Giovanni is perfectly willing to kill Ash with [=MechaMew2=]'s Hyper Beam, and he engages him in a fistfight shortly before that.
* The ''Theatre/MrsHawking'' play series: In part V: ''Mrs. Frost'', the eponymous villain sends one of her men, Joe Quinn, after Nathaniel's children as a tactic to break him in captivity.

** ''Theatre/TitusAndronicus'': Tamora requests for infanticide of her newborn child because [[spoiler: the child turned out dark-skinned, thus it will be obvious that the child is a bastard from her affair with Aaron, a Moor]].

* ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'':
** RareFemaleExample occurs with Lady Macbeth. The violence is only implied, but at this point in the play, she seems perfectly capable of going through with it.

** Not just implied with Macbeth, who has assassins murder Macduff's wife and young son. His wife is horrified by this, though not because of the children — it screws up her political machinations. That said, those particular murders do feature among the things she [[MadnessMantra mentions]] in the [[OutDamnedSpot infamous]] [[FreakOut sleepwalking scene.]]

** The witches also mention [[HumanResources using a dead baby in one of their spells]], just to show how [[MagicIsEvil witches are evil.]]

* Some culprits in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' set their murderous sights on younger people, although their age usually never drops below teenage years, the youngest victim, [[spoiler: Vera Misham,]] having been 12 when [[spoiler: Kristoph Gavin]] gave her poisoned nail polish (though she didn't actually use it until she was 19, and although it was a close shave, she did survive). And then there's prosecutor [[{{Slimeball}} Gaspen Payne]], who encourages the judge to give Albi, a ''nine-year-old boy'' the '''death penalty''' because he wants Phoenix Wright to suffer the same fate under the [[LoonyLaws Defence Culpability Act]].

* Some culprits in ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' set their murderous sights on younger people, although their age usually never drops below teenage years, the youngest victim having been 12 when [[spoiler: Kristoph Gavin]] gave her poisoned nail polish (though she didn't actually use it until she was 19). And then there's prosecutor [[{{Slimeball}} Gaspen Payne]], who encourages the judge to give a ''nine-year-old boy'' the '''death penalty''' because he wants Phoenix Wright to suffer the same fate under the [[LoonyLaws Defence Culpability Act]].

** God Himself kills the firstborn of Egypt as one of the Ten Plagues, as well as David and Bathsheba's firstborn. In his case, it's given the justification of OmniscientMoralityLicense, which means that God would simply be taking them to a [[{{Heaven}} better place]].