In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child

maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other

caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Most child
abuse occurs in a child's home, with a smaller amount occurring in the organizations,
schools or communities the child interacts with.

Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child
abuse for the purposes of removing a child from his/her family and/or prosecuting a
criminal charge. According to the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect,

History: Battered Child Syndrome was first described by the French Forensic
medicine specialist, Auguste Ambroise Tardieu (10 April 1818 – 12 January
1879). In recognition of his first descriptions Battered Child Syndrome is also
known as Tardieu's Syndrome.

Types: Child abuse can take several forms: The four main types are physical, sexual,
psychological, and neglect.

Neglect: Child neglect is where the responsible adult fails to provide adequately for
various needs, including physical (failure to provide adequate food, clothing, or
hygiene), emotional (failure to provide nurturing or affection), educational (failure
to enroll a child in school), or medical (failure to medicate the child or take him or
her to the doctor).

Physical abuse: Physical abuse is physical aggression directed at a child by an

adult. It can involve striking, kicking, shoving, slapping, burning, bruising,
pulling ears or hair, choking or shaking a child. Shaking a child can cause shaken
baby syndrome, which can lead to intracranial pressure, swelling of the brain,
diffuse axonal injury, and oxygen deprivation; which leads to patterns such as
failure to thrive, vomiting, lethargy, seizures, bulging or tense fontanels, altered
breathing, and dilated pupils. The transmission of toxins to a child through its
mother (such as with fetal alcohol syndrome) can also be considered physical
abuse in some jurisdictions.

Most nations with child-abuse laws consider the infliction of physical injuries or actions
that place the child in obvious risk of serious injury or death to be illegal. Beyond this,
there is considerable variation. The distinction between child discipline and abuse is often
poorly defined. Cultural norms about what constitutes abuse vary widely: among
professionals as well as the wider public, people do not agree on what behaviors
constitute abuse. Some human-service professionals claim that cultural norms that
sanction physical punishment are one of the causes of child abuse, and have undertaken
campaigns to redefine such norms.

The use of any kind of force against children as a disciplinary measure is illegal in 24
countries around the world, but prevalent and socially accepted in many others. See
corporal punishment in the home for more information.

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Child sexual abuse : Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of child abuse in which an
adult or older adolescent abuses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of CSA
include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities (regardless of
the outcome), indecent exposure of the genitals to a child, displaying
pornography to a child, actual sexual contact against a child, physical contact
with the child's genitals, viewing of the child's genitalia without physical contact,
or using a child to produce child pornography.

The effects of child sexual abuse include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder,
anxiety, propensity to re-victimization in adulthood, and physical injury to the child,
among other problems. Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest, and can
result in more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of
parental incest. Child sexual abuse is also strongly connected to the development of
addictive behavior, complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality
disorder.

Approximately 15% to 25% of women and 5% to 15% of men were sexually abused
when they were children. Most sexual abuse offenders are acquainted with their victims;
approximately 30% are relatives of the child, most often brothers, fathers, mothers,
uncles or cousins; around 60% are other acquaintances such as friends of the family,
babysitters, or neighbors; strangers are the offenders in approximately 10% of child
sexual abuse cases.

Psychological/emotional abuse : Out of all the possible forms of abuse,

emotional abuse is the hardest to define. It could include name-calling, ridicule,
degradation, destruction of personal belongings, torture or destruction of a pet,
excessive criticism, inappropriate or excessive demands, withholding
communication, and routine labeling or humiliation.

Victims of emotional abuse may react by distancing themselves from the abuser,
internalizing the abusive words, or fighting back by insulting the abuser. Emotional abuse
can result in abnormal or disrupted attachment disorder, a tendency for victims to blame
themselves (self-blame) for the abuse, learned helplessness, and overly passive behavior.

Prevalence: According to the (American) National Committee to Prevent Child

Abuse, in 1997 neglect represented 54% of confirmed cases of child abuse,
physical abuse 22%, sexual abuse 8%, emotional maltreatment 4%, and other forms
of maltreatment 12%.

A UNICEF report on child wellbeing stated that the United States and the United
Kingdom ranked lowest among industrial nations with respect to the wellbeing of
children. It also found that child neglect and child abuse were far more common in
single-parent families than in families where both parents are present.

In the USA, neglect is defined as the failure to meet the basic needs of children including
housing, clothing, food and access to medical care. Researchers found over 91,000 cases
of neglect in one year (from October 2005 to 30 September 2006) using information from
a database of cases verified by protective services agencies.

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Neglect could also take the form of financial abuse by not buying the child adequate
materials for survival. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that
for each year between 2000 and 2005, "female parents acting alone" were most likely to
be perpetrators of child abuse.

Fatalities: A child abuse fatality is when a child’s death is the result of abuse or
neglect, or when abuse and/or neglect are contributing factors to a child’s death.
In the United States, 1,730 children died in 2008 due to factors related to abuse;
this is a rate of 2.33 per 100,000 U.S. children. Child abuse fatalities are widely
recognized as being under-counted; some estimate that the number is 3.2 times
higher than the reported count. Younger children are at a much higher risk for
being killed, as are African Americans. Girls and boys, however, are killed at
similar rates. Caregivers, and specifically mothers, are more likely to be the
perpetrators of a child abuse fatality, than anyone else, include strangers, relatives,
and non-relative caregivers. Family situations which place children at risk include
moving, unemployment, having non-family members living in the household. A
number of policies and programs have been put into place to try to better
understand and to prevent child abuse fatalities, including: safe haven laws, child
fatality review teams, training for investigators, shaken baby syndrome prevention
programs, and child abuse death laws which mandate harsher sentencing for
taking the life of a child.

Causes: Child abuse is a complex phenomenon with multiple causes. Understanding

the causes of abuse is crucial to addressing the problem of child abuse. Parents who
physically abuse their spouses are more likely than others to physically abuse their
children. However, it is impossible to know whether marital strife is a cause of
child abuse, or if both the marital strife and the abuse are caused by tendencies in
the abuser.

Substance abuse can be a major contributing factor to child abuse. One U.S. study found
that parents with documented substance abuse, most commonly alcohol, cocaine, and
heroin, were much more likely to mistreat their children, and were also much more likely
to reject court-ordered services and treatments.

Another study found that over two thirds of cases of child maltreatment involved parents
with substance abuse problems. This study specifically found relationships between
alcohol and physical abuse, and between cocaine and sexual abuse.

Unemployment and financial difficulties are associated with increased rates of child
abuse. In 2009 CBS News reported that child abuse in the United States had increased
during the economic recession. It gave the example of a father who had never been the
primary care-taker of the children. Now that the father was in that role, the children
began to come in with injuries.

Effects: Children with a history of neglect or physical abuse are at risk of developing
psychiatric problems, or a disorganized attachment style. Disorganized
attachment is associated with a number of developmental problems, including
dissociative symptoms, as well as anxiety, depressive, and acting out symptoms. A
study by Dante Cicchetti found that 80% of abused and maltreated infants exhibited
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 symptoms of disorganized attachment. When some of these children become
parents, especially if they suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
dissociative symptoms, and other sequelae of child abuse, they may encounter
difficulty when faced with their infant and young children's needs and normative
distress, which may in turn lead to adverse consequences for their child's social-
emotional development. Despite these potential difficulties, psychosocial
intervention can be effective, at least in some cases, in changing the ways
maltreated parents think about their young children.

Victims of childhood abuse, it is claimed, also suffer from different types of physical
health problems later in life. Some reportedly suffer from some type of chronic head,
abdominal, pelvic, or muscular pain with no identifiable reason. Even though the
majority of childhood abuse victims know or believe that their abuse is, or can be, the
cause of different health problems in their adult life, for the great majority their abuse
was not directly associated with those problems, indicating that sufferers were most likely
diagnosed with other possible causes for their health problems, instead of their childhood
abuse.

The effects of child abuse vary, depending on the type of abuse. A 2006 study found that
childhood emotional and sexual abuse were strongly related to adult depressive
symptoms, while exposure to verbal abuse and witnessing of domestic violence had a
moderately strong association, and physical abuse a moderate one. For depression,
experiencing more than two kinds of abuse exerted synergetically stronger symptoms.
Sexual abuse was particularly deleterious in its intrafamilial form, for symptoms of
depression, anxiety, dissociation, and limbic irritability.[clarification needed] Childhood verbal
abuse had a stronger association with anger-hostility than any other type of abuse studied,
and was second only to emotional abuse in its relationship with dissociative symptoms.
More generally, in the case of 23 of the 27 illnesses listed in the questionnaire of a French
INSEE survey, some statistically significant correlations were found between repeated
illness and family traumas encountered by the child before the age of 18 years. These
relationships show that inequality in terms of illness and suffering is not only social. It
also has its origins in the family, where it is associated with the degrees of lasting
affective problems (lack of affection, parental discord, the prolonged absence of a parent,
or a serious illness affecting either the mother or father) that individuals report having
experienced in childhood.

New research illustrates that there are strong associations between exposure to child
abuse in all its forms and higher rates of many chronic conditions. The strongest evidence
comes from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's) series of studies which show
correlations between exposure to abuse or neglect and higher rates in adulthood of
chronic conditions, high-risk health behaviors and shortened lifespan. A recent
publication, Hidden Costs in Health Care: The Economic Impact of Violence and Abuse,
makes the case that such exposure represents a serious and costly public-health issue that
should be addressed by the healthcare system.

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Consequences of physical abuse : Children who are physically abused are
likely to receive bone fractures, particularly rib fractures, and may have a higher
risk of developing cancer.

Prevention : April has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month in the
United States since 1983. U.S. President Barack Obama continued that tradition
by declaring April 2009 Child Abuse Prevention Month. One way the Federal
government of the United States provides funding for child-abuse prevention is
through Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
(CBCAP).

Resources for child-protection services are sometimes limited. According to Hosin

(2007), "a considerable number of traumatized abused children do not gain access to
protective child-protection strategies." Briere (1992) argues that only when "lower-level
violence" of children ceases to be culturally tolerated will there be changes in the
victimization and police protection of children.

Treatment: A number of treatments are available to victims of child abuse.

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, first developed to treat sexually
abused children, is now used for victims of any kind of trauma. It targets trauma-
related symptoms in children including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
clinical depression, and anxiety. It also includes a component for non-offending
parents. Several studies have found that sexually abused children undergoing TF-
CBT improved more than children undergoing certain other therapies. Data on the
effects of TF-CBT for children who experienced only non-sexual abuse was not
available as of 2006.

Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy was designed for children who have
experienced physical abuse. It targets externalizing behaviors and strengthens prosocial
behaviors. Offending parents are included in the treatment, to improve parenting
skills/practices. It is supported by one randomized study.

Child-parent psychotherapy was designed to improve the child-parent relationship

following the experience of domestic violence. It targets trauma-related symptoms in
infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, including PTSD, aggression, defiance, and anxiety. It
is supported by two studies of one sample.

Other forms of treatment include group therapy, play therapy, and art therapy. Each of
these types of treatment can be used to better assist the client, depending on the form of
abuse they have experienced. Play therapy and art therapy are ways to get children more
comfortable with therapy by working on something that they enjoy (coloring, drawing,
painting, etc.). The design of a child's artwork can be a symbolic representation of what
they are feeling, relationships with friends or family, and more. Being able to discuss and
analyze a child's artwork can allow a professional to get a better insight of the child.

Ethics : One of the most challenging ethical dilemmas arising from child abuse
relates to the parental rights of abusive parents or caretakers with regard to their
children, particularly in medical settings. In the United States, the 2008 New

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 Hampshire case of Andrew Bedner drew attention to this legal and moral
conundrum. Bedner, accused of severely injuring his infant daughter, sued for the
right to determine whether or not she remain on life support; keeping her alive,
which would have prevented a murder charge, created a motive for Bedner to act
that conflicted with the apparent interests of his child. Bioethicists Jacob M. Appel
and Thaddeus Mason Pope recently argued, in separate articles, that such cases
justify the replacement of the accused parent with an alternative decision-maker.

Organizations : There are organizations at national, state, and county levels in

the United States that provide community leadership in preventing child abuse and
neglect. The National Alliance of Children's Trust Funds and Prevent Child Abuse
America are two national organizations with member organizations at the state
level.

Other organizations focus on specific prevention strategies. The National Center on

Shaken Baby Syndrome focuses its efforts on the specific issue of preventing child abuse
that is manifested as shaken baby syndrome. Mandated reporter training is a program
used to prevent ongoing child abuse.

What Is Child Abuse?

"Child abuse" can be defined as causing or permitting any harmful or offensive

contact on a child's body; and, any communication or transaction of any kind
which humiliates, shames, or frightens the child. Some child development
experts go a bit further, and define child abuse as any act or omission, which fails
to nurture or in the upbringing of the children.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act defines child abuse and neglect
as: “at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or
caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual
abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk
of serious harm.”

A child of any age, sex, race, religion, and socioeconomic background can fall
victim to child abuse and neglect.

There are many factors that may contribute to the occurrence of child abuse and
neglect. Parents may be more likely to maltreat their children if they abuse drugs
or alcohol. Some parents may not be able to cope with the stress resulting from
the changes and may experience difficulty in caring for their children.

Major types of child abuse are : Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, & Sexual child
Abuse, Neglect.( Physical neglect, educational neglect, emotional neglect)

Emotional Abuse: (also known as: verbal abuse, mental abuse, and
psychological maltreatment) Includes acts or the failures to act by parents
or caretakers that have caused or could cause, serious behavioral,

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 cognitive, emotional, or mental disorders.

This can include parents/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of

punishment, such as confinement in a closet or dark room or being tied to
a chair for long periods of time or threatening or terrorizing a child.

Less severe acts, but no less damaging are belittling or rejecting

treatment, using derogatory terms to describe the child, habitual
scapegoating or blaming.

Neglect: The failure to provide for the child’s basic needs. Neglect can be physical,
educational, or emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or
clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection (heat or
coats). It may include abandonment. Educational neglect includes failure to provide
appropriate schooling or special educational needs, allowing excessive truancies.
Psychological neglect includes the lack of any emotional support and love, never
attending to the child, spousal abuse, drug and alcohol abuse including allowing the child
to participate in drug and alcohol use.

Physical Abuse: The inflicting of physical injury upon a child. This may include, burning,
hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating, or otherwise harming a child. The parent or
caretaker may not have intended to hurt the child, the injury is not an accident. It may,
however, been the result of over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate to
the child’s age.

Sexual Abuse: The inappropriate sexual behavior with a child. It includes fondling a
child’s genitals, making the child fondle the adult’s genitals, intercourse, incest, rape,
sodomy, exhibitionism and sexual exploitation. To be considered child abuse these acts
have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of a child (for example a baby-
sitter, a parent, or a daycare provider) or related to the child. If a stranger commits these
acts, it would be considered sexual assault and handled solely be the police and criminal
courts.

Commercial or other exploitation of a child refers to use of the child in work or other
activities for the benefit of others. This includes, but is not limited to, child labour and
child prostitution. These activities are to the detriment of the child’s physical or mental
health, education, or spiritual, moral or social-emotional development.

Child abuse can have the following consequences :

1. It will encourage your child to lie, resent, fear, and retaliate, instead of
loving, trusting, and listening

2. It will alienate your child from you and the rest of your family & make him a
recluse.

3. It will lower your child's self esteem, and affect your child's psychological
development and ability to behave normally outside his home.

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 4. When your child grows up, your child could probably carry on the family
tradition, and abuse your grandchildren.

5. Your child may exclude you from his adult life. For example, you might not
be invited to your child's wedding, or not be allowed any contact or
relationship with your grandchildren.

Child Abuse and Neglect

Recognizing and Preventing Child Abuse

Child abuse is more than bruises and broken bones. While physical abuse might be the
most visible sign, other types of abuse, such as emotional abuse or child neglect, also
leave deep, long lasting scars. Some signs of child abuse are subtler than others.
However, by learning common types of abuse and what you can do, you can make a huge
difference in a child’s life. The earlier abused children get help, the greater chance they
have to heal from their abuse and not perpetuate the cycle. Learn the signs and symptoms
of child abuse and help break the cycle, finding out where to get help for the children and
their caregivers.

Understanding child abuse and neglect

Child abuse is more than bruises or broken bones. While physical abuse is shocking due
to the scars it leaves, not all child abuse is as obvious. Ignoring children’s needs, putting
them in unsupervised, dangerous situations, or making a child feel worthless or stupid are
also child abuse. Regardless of the type of child abuse, the result is serious emotional
harm.

Myths and facts about child abuse and neglect

MYTH #1: It's only abuse if it's violent.

Fact: Physical abuse is just one type of child abuse. Neglect and emotional abuse can be
just as damaging, and since they are more subtle, others are less likely to intervene. .

MYTH #2: Only bad people abuse their children.

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Fact: While it's easy to say that only "bad people" abuse their children, it's not always so
black and white. Not all abusers are intentionally harming their children. Many have been
victims of abuse themselves, and don’t know any other way to parent. Others may be
struggling with mental health issues or a substance abuse problem.

MYTH #3: Child abuse doesn't happen in “good” families.

Fact: Child abuse doesn't only happen in poor families or bad neighborhoods. It crosses
all racial, economic, and cultural lines. Sometimes, families who seem to have it all from
the outside are hiding a different story behind closed doors.

MYTH #4: Most child abusers are strangers.

Fact: While abuse by strangers does happen, most abusers are family members or others
close to the family

MYTH #5: Abused children always grow up to be abusers.

Fact: It is true that abused children are more likely to repeat the cycle as adults,
unconsciously repeating what they experienced as children. On the other hand, many
adult survivors of child abuse have a strong motivation to protect their children against
what they went through and become excellent parents.

Effects of child abuse and neglect

All types of child abuse and neglect leave lasting scars. Some of these scars might be
physical, but emotional scarring has long lasting effects throughout life, damaging a
child’s sense of self, ability to have healthy relationships, and ability to function at home,
at work and at school. Some effects include:

 Lack of trust and relationship difficulties. If you can’t trust your parents, who
can you trust? Abuse by a primary caregiver damages the most fundamental
relationship as a child—that you will safely, reliably get your physical and
emotional needs met by the person who is responsible for your care. Without this
base, it is very difficult to learn to trust people or know who is trustworthy. This
can lead to difficulty maintaining relationships due to fear of being controlled or
abused. It can also lead to unhealthy relationships because the adult doesn’t know
what a good relationship is.

 Core feelings of being “worthless” or “damaged.”

If you’ve been told over and over again as a child that you are stupid or no good,

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 it is very difficult to overcome these core feelings. You may experience them as
reality. Adults may not strive for more education, or settle for a job that may not
pay enough, because they don’t believe they can do it or are worth more. Sexual
abuse survivors, with the stigma and shame surrounding the abuse, often
especially struggle with a feeling of being damaged.
 Trouble regulating emotions. Abused children cannot express emotions safely.
As a result, the emotions get stuffed down, coming out in unexpected ways. Adult
survivors of child abuse can struggle with unexplained anxiety, depression, or
anger. They may turn to alcohol or drugs to numb out the painful feelings.

Types of child abuse

There are several types of child abuse, but the core element that ties them together is the
emotional effect on the child. Children need predictability, structure, clear boundaries,
and the knowledge that their parents are looking out for their safety. Abused children
cannot predict how their parents will act. Their world is an unpredictable, frightening
place with no rules. Whether the abuse is a slap, a harsh comment, stony silence, or not
knowing if there will be dinner on the table tonight, the end result is a child that feel
unsafe, uncared for, and alone.

Emotional child abuse

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me? Contrary to this old
saying, emotional abuse can severely damage a child’s mental health or social
development, leaving lifelong psychological scars. Examples of emotional child abuse
include:

 Constant belittling, shaming, and humiliating a child

 Calling names and making negative comparisons to others
 Telling a child he or she is “no good," "worthless," "bad," or "a mistake."
 Frequent yelling, threatening, or bullying.
 Ignoring or rejecting a child as punishment, giving him or her the silent treatment.
 Limited physical contact with the child—no hugs, kisses, or other signs of
affection.
 Exposing the child to violence or the abuse of others, whether it be the abuse of a
parent, a sibling, or even a pet.

Child neglect

Child neglect—a very common type of child abuse—is a pattern of failing to provide for
a child's basic needs, whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, or supervision.
Child neglect is not always easy to spot. Sometimes, a parent might become physically or
mentally unable to care for a child, such as with a serious injury, untreated depression, or
anxiety. Other times, alcohol or drug abuse may seriously impair judgment and the ability
to keep a child safe.

Older children might not show outward signs of neglect, becoming used to presenting a
competent face to the outside world, and even taking on the role of the parent. But at the
end of the day, neglected children are not getting their physical and emotional needs met.

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Physical child abuse

Physical abuse involves physical harm or injury to the child.

It may be the result of a deliberate attempt to hurt the child, but not always. It can also
result from severe discipline, such as using a belt on a child, or physical punishment that
is inappropriate to the child’s age or physical condition.

Many physically abusive parents and caregivers insist that their actions are simply forms
of discipline—ways to make children learn to behave. But there is a big difference
between using physical punishment to discipline and physical abuse. The point of
disciplining children is to teach them right from wrong, not to make them live in fear.

Physical abuse vs. Discipline

In physical abuse, unlike physical forms of discipline, the following elements are present:

 Unpredictability. The child never knows what is going to set the parent off.
There are no clear boundaries or rules. The child is constantly walking on
eggshells, never sure what behavior will trigger a physical assault.
 Lashing out in anger. Physically abusive parents act out of anger and the desire
to assert control, not the motivation to lovingly teach the child. The angrier the
parent, the more intense the abuse.
 Using fear to control behavior. Parents who are physically abusive may believe
that their children need to fear them in order to behave, so they use physical abuse
to “keep their child in line.” However, what children are really learning is how to
avoid being hit, not how to behave or grow as individuals.

Child sexual abuse: A hidden type of abuse

Child sexual abuse is an especially complicated form of abuse because of its layers of
guilt and shame. It's important to recognize that sexual abuse doesn't always involve body
contact. Exposing a child to sexual situations or material is sexually abusive, whether or
not touching is involved.

While news stories of sexual predators are scary, what is even more frightening is that
sexual abuse usually occurs at the hands of someone the child knows and should be able
to trust—most often close relatives. And contrary to what many believe, it’s not just girls

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who are at risk. Boys and girls both suffer from sexual abuse. In fact, sexual abuse of
boys may be underreported due to shame and stigma.

The problem of shame and guilt in child sexual abuse

Aside from the physical damage that sexual abuse can cause, the emotional component is
powerful and far-reaching. Sexually abused children are tormented by shame and guilt.
They may feel that they are responsible for the abuse or somehow brought it upon
themselves. This can lead to self-loathing and sexual problems as they grow older—often
either excessive promiscuity or an inability to have intimate relations.

The shame of sexual abuse makes it very difficult for children to come forward. They
may worry that others won’t believe them, will be angry with them, or that it will split
their family apart. Because of these difficulties, false accusations of sexual abuse are not
common, so if a child confides in you, take him or her seriously. Don’t turn a blind eye!

Warning signs of child abuse and neglect

The earlier child abuse is caught, the better the chance

of recovery and appropriate treatment for the child. Child abuse is not always obvious.
By learning some of the common warning signs of child abuse and neglect, you can catch
the problem as early as possible and get both the child and the abuser the help that they
need.

Of course, just because you see a warning sign doesn’t automatically mean a child is
being abused. It’s important to dig deeper, looking for a pattern of abusive behavior and
warning signs, if you notice something off.

Warning signs of emotional abuse in children

 Excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong.
 Shows extremes in behavior (extremely compliant or extremely demanding;
extremely passive or extremely aggressive).
 Doesn’t seem to be attached to the parent or caregiver.
 Acts either inappropriately adult (taking care of other children) or inappropriately
infantile (rocking, thumb-sucking, tantruming).

Warning signs of physical abuse in children

 Frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts.
 Is always watchful and “on alert,” as if waiting for something bad to happen.
 Injuries appear to have a pattern such as marks from a hand or belt.

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  Shies away from touch, flinches at sudden movements, or seems afraid to go
home.
 Wears inappropriate clothing to cover up injuries, such as long-sleeved shirts on
hot days.

Warning signs of neglect in children

 Clothes are ill-fitting, filthy, or inappropriate for the weather.
 Hygiene is consistently bad (unbathed, matted and unwashed hair, noticeable
body odor).
 Untreated illnesses and physical injuries.
 Is frequently unsupervised or left alone or allowed to play in unsafe situations and
environments.
 Is frequently late or missing from school.

Warning signs of sexual abuse in children

 Trouble walking or sitting.
 Displays knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to his or her age, or
even seductive behavior.
 Makes strong efforts to avoid a specific person, without an obvious reason.
 Doesn’t want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical
activities.
 An STD or pregnancy, especially under the age of 14.
 Runs away from home.

Child abuse and reactive attachment disorder

Severe abuse early in life can lead to reactive attachment disorder. Children with this
disorder are so disrupted that they have extreme difficulty establishing normal
relationships and attaining normal developmental milestones. They need special
treatment and support.

Risk factors for child abuse and neglect

While child abuse and neglect occurs in all types of families—even in those that look
happy from the outside—children are at a much greater risk in certain situations.

 Domestic violence. Witnessing domestic violence is terrifying to children and

emotionally abusive. Even if the mother does her best to protect her children and
keeps them from being physically abused, the situation is still extremely
damaging. If you or a loved one is in an abusive relationships, getting out is the
best thing for protecting the children.
 Alcohol and drug abuse. Living with an alcoholic or addict is very difficult for
children and can easily lead to abuse and neglect. Parents who are drunk or high
are unable to care for their children, make good parenting decisions, and control
often-dangerous impulses. Substance abuse also commonly leads to physical
abuse.
 Untreated mental illness. Parents who suffering from depression, an anxiety
disorder, bipolar disorder, or another mental illness have trouble taking care of
themselves, much less their children. A mentally ill or traumatized parent may be
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 distant and withdrawn from his or her children, or quick to anger without
understanding why. Treatment for the caregiver means better care for the children.
 Lack of parenting skills. Some caregivers never learned the skills necessary for
good parenting. Teen parents, for example, might have unrealistic expectations
about how much care babies and small children need. Or parents who where
themselves victims of child abuse may only know how to raise their children the
way they were raised. In such cases, parenting classes, therapy, and caregiver
support groups are great resources for learning better parenting skills.
 Stress and lack of support. Parenting can be a very time-intensive, difficult job,
especially if you’re raising children without support from family, friends, or the
community or you’re dealing with relationship problems or financial difficulties.
Caring for a child with a disability, special needs, or difficult behaviors is also a
challenge. It’s important to get the support you need, so you are emotionally and
physically able to support your child.

How do you know when you’ve crossed the line?

 You can’t stop the anger. What starts as a swat on the backside may turn into
multiple hits getting harder and harder. You may shake your child harder and
harder and finally throw him or her down. You find yourself screaming louder and
louder and can’t stop yourself.
 You feel emotionally disconnected from your child. You may feel so
overwhelmed that you don’t want anything to do with your child. Day after day,
you just want to be left alone and for your child to be quiet.
 Meeting the daily needs of your child seems impossible. While everyone
struggles with balancing dressing, feeding, and getting kids to school or other
activities, if you continually can’t manage to do it, it’s a sign that something might
be wrong.
 Other people have expressed concern. It may be easy to bristle at other people
expressing concern. However, consider carefully what they have to say. Are the
words coming from someone you normally respect and trust? Denial is not an
uncommon reaction.

Breaking the cycle of child abuse

If you have a history of child abuse, having your own children can trigger strong
memories and feelings that you may have repressed. This may happen when a child is
born, or at later ages when you remember specific abuse to you. You may be shocked and
overwhelmed by your anger, and feel like you can’t control it. But you can learn new
ways to manage your emotions and break your old patterns.

Remember, you are the most important person in your child’s world. It’s worth the effort
to make a change, and you don’t have to go it alone. Help and support are available.

Tips for changing your reactions

 Learn what is age appropriate and what is not. Having realistic expectations of
what children can handle at certain ages will help you avoid frustration and anger
at normal child behavior. For example, newborns are not going to sleep through
the night without a peep, and toddlers are not going to be able to sit quietly for
extended periods of time.
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  Develop new parenting skills. While learning to control your emotions is critical,
you also need a game plan of what you are going to do instead. Start by learning
appropriate discipline techniques and how to set clear boundaries for your
children. Parenting classes, books, and seminars are a way to get this information.
You can also turn to other parents for tips and advice.
 Take care of yourself. If you are not getting enough rest and support or you’re
feeling overwhelmed, you are much more likely to succumb to anger. Sleep
deprivation, common in parents of young children, adds to moodiness and
irritability—exactly what you are trying to avoid.
 Get professional help. Breaking the cycle of abuse can be very difficult if the
patterns are strongly entrenched. If you can’t seem to stop yourself no matter how
hard you try, it’s time to get help, be it therapy, parenting classes, or other
interventions. Your children will thank you for it.
 Learn how you can get your emotions under control. The first step to getting
your emotions under control is realizing that they are there. If you were abused as
a child, you may have an especially difficult time getting in touch with your range
of emotions. You may have had to deny or repress them as a child, and now they
spill out without your control. For a step by step process on how you can develop
your emotional intelligence, visit EQ Central.

Helping an abused or neglected child

What should you do if you suspect that a child has

been abused? How do you approach him or her? Or what if a child comes to you? It’s
normal to feel a little overwhelmed and confused in this situation. Child abuse is a
difficult subject that can be hard to accept and even harder to talk about.

Just remember, you can make a tremendous difference in the life of an abused child,
especially if you take steps to stop the abuse early. When talking with an abused child,
the best thing you can provide is calm reassurance and unconditional support. Let your
actions speak for you if you’re having trouble finding the words. Remember that talking
about the abuse may be very difficult for the child. It’s your job to reassure the child and
provide whatever help you can.

Tips for talking to an abused child

 Avoid denial and remain calm. A common reaction to news as unpleasant and
shocking as child abuse is denial. However, if you display denial to a child, or
show shock or disgust at what they are saying, the child may be afraid to continue
and will shut down. As hard as it may be, remain as calm and reassuring as you
can.

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  Don’t interrogate. Let the child explain to you in his or her own words what
happened, but don’t interrogate the child or ask leading questions. This may
confuse and fluster the child and make it harder for them to continue their story.
 Reassure the child that they did nothing wrong. It takes a lot for a child to
come forward about abuse. Reassure him or her that you take what is said
seriously, and that it is not the child’s fault.
 Safety comes first. If you feel that your safety or the safety of the child would be
threatened if you try to intervene, leave it to the professionals. You may be able to
provide more support later after the initial professional intervention.

Child abuse is one of the most heinous and inhuman crimes against humanity. It means to
maltreat a child physically or emotionally. Thus, any commission or omission of an act by a
parent which leads to a harm or possibility of harm to the child can be categorized as child
abuse. Not only the parents but also those who happen to be in the next circle of a child can
be a cause of this ill treatment.

Ironically, a majority of child abuse cases occur in the home, school or the neighborhood next
door. Child abuse can be differentiated into four major categories, namely, physical abuse,
emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.

Child abuse traumatizes a child in various ways. From not providing required environment for
a healthy growth, inflicting physical torture, mental trauma to sexually maltreating a child in
any possible way, child abuse has many dirty unveiled facets. It may also include not
providing required food, shelter, clothing, education and an environment that is necessary for
an overall development of a child’s personality.

Physical abuse, as quoted earlier, has a wide range. Choking, burning, hitting and striking all
comprise physical abuse. Further, any kind of sexual association in any form between a child
and an adult again results into sexual abuse. Emotionally depraving a child, hurting his self
esteem or inflicting any other kind of mental trauma is a physiological abuse against the child.

Causes are ample and also are very important to help fight against child abuse in any given
form. Cultural norms, unsuccessful marriage, drug addiction comprise as the main causes of
child abuse. Sometimes a child might also be inflicted to abuse in any which form without it
being in the notice of the parents, for example, at the school, at the hands of some relative or
the immediate neighborhood. The main reasons, though, are generated from the former. An
unhappy marriage might yield an outcome which isn’t satisfactory for the spouses and thus
the entire frustration can be vented on the child. It can be both, intentional or unintentional.

If the parents or parent of a child is given to the habit of drug addiction then again child
abuse can be directly attributed to the habit. Since, in such a condition the parent fails to
understand the seriousness in bringing up a child and
might also not follow the law of the land. Cultural
norms, though, are a bit difficult to explain, yet, form
a major cause of child abuse. Many follow the
tradition that they have grown up seeing and if they
were subjected to child abuse as a child then the
possibility is high for them to repeat the same
without any guilt.
In India, many gruesome incidents of child abuse
have been recorded in the past. Ranging from incest,
rapes, sexual abuse, digital rape, sodomy,
inappropriate touch to sexual assaults, India has a
higher category of child sexual abuse than the other
kind abuses.

The worst part is that such abuse is inflicted upon a

child by a person in his immediate circle and a
stunning majority of these cases go unnoticed. Also,

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reasons like shame, plain depravity and family honour contribute towards shunning and
covering the cases of child abuse.

There have been incidents as heinous as a businessman raping his daughter continuously for
nine years in order to follow the directions of his guru who told him that he shall attain never
ending riches if he did what he was told to do. What is even more shocking is the fact that
even the mother of the child was charged for abetting the crime. The unitary or joint family
system that prevails in India hides underneath itself a very hideous facet of sexual abuses
specially, against the girls.

Unfortunately, reports reveal that as many as three fourth of Indian women from middle class
and upper middle class are subjected to sexual abuse and a shocking majority out of them is
that of a girl child.

Obviously, alarmed at the given state of things Indian law and order has come up with
stringent laws and severe punishments against this heinous offense. In a recent case where a
five years old girl was digitally raped Delhi high court took a serious stance by suggesting that
the definition of rape should be made age and gender neutral.

The offense of child abuse is highly grave in nature and leaves the child in a state of mental
turmoil and physical torture. The parliament of India has been long awaited to make the law
against child abuse even stricter, since the present law and order has many loopholes and
thus the criminal gets discharged at a minimal punishment.

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