• Mississippi has several laws that protect children.children image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
  
  The state of Mississippi legal code protects children from abuse, and in the case of labor laws, from exploitation. Some laws, such as those concerning custody and maintenance provisions, detail the rights of parents with respect to their children, but these laws also detail the responsibilities of parents with respect to their children. When cases come before the chancery court in Mississippi, the welfare of the children is always the prime concern.
  
  

Protective Orders

• The Mississippi legal code gives the state chancery court the power to issue protective orders against a defendant, ordering the defendant to stop the abuse of children named in the petition. Section 93-21-15 of the Mississippi code gives the court powers to give possession of the home to the person requesting the petition and ordering the defendant to stay away from the home. This means, for example, that if one parent is abusing the children of the household, either physically, mentally, or emotionally, the other parent can file a petition with the chancery court asking the court to issue a protective order. (reference 1)
  
  

Custody of Children

• The chancery court of the state of Mississippi hears cases involving the custody, support and maintenance of children. Section 93-11-65(1)(a) of the Mississippi code gives the chancery court the power to order that a parent ordered to make maintenance payments, must lodge sureties against payment, to ensure that the payments are made. A surety is a guarantee to pay, backed by assets such as cash, like a bail-bond. The court can also order that if the parent paying maintenance has health insurance available, such as an employer-offered health plan, the parent must include any dependent children as beneficiaries of the health insurance policy.
  
  

Child Labor Laws

• Section 71-1-17 makes it unlawful for workshops, factories and manufacturing plants in Mississippi to employ children under the age of 14 in any capacity. Children between the ages of 14 and 16 can work in factories, workshops and manufacturing plants, providing the employer has a signed affidavit from a parent or guardian of the child granting consent and a certificate from the child's school principal or district superintendent. Children aged between 14 and 16 can only work if they meet state laws governing compulsory school attendance. (reference 3)
  
  

Compulsory Education

• Mississippi code 37-13-91 states that all children must attend school between the ages of 6 and 17. The act makes provisions for parents who want to school their children at home, but parents who home school must file a "certificate of enrollment" for each child with the state and demonstrate that they are following a state-approved course of study.
  
  Children who are unable to attend school, such as children with physical, emotional or mental challenges, must enroll in a remedial, or special education school, or be enrolled in an appropriate home school program. Parents can face up to $1,000 in fines and one year in jail for violating this law. (reference 4)