There is no law which says hitting a child with a belt is child abuse. This does not mean it is nor does it mean it's not. Was the child lightly hit once or several times leaving welts and causing bleeding? My point is, it is a matter of degree and not a hard and fast rule. Is it child abuse? I don't know but it's more likely to lead to it than not. Nothing good will come of hitting a kid with a belt and, if nothing else, is poor parenting.