Child abuse is quite simply neglect by parents for their children.

Maltreatment is also termed as child

abuse. Child abuse may be sexual, physical or emotional in nature. Depending on various factors and
situations, child abuse mars a child for life and may impede their progress and lifestyle.

Learn about the major types of child abuse and what constitutes physical abuse, sexual abuse,
emotional abuse and neglect of a child.

The four major types of child abuse are:

 Physical abuse
 Sexual abuse
 Emotional / Psychological abuse
 Neglect

What is physical child abuse?

Physical child abuse is an injury resulting from physical aggression. Even if the injury was not
intended, the act is considered physical abuse. The injury from physical child abuse may be the
result of: No Iframes

 Beating, slapping, or hitting.

 Pushing, shaking, kicking, or throwing.
 Pinching, biting, choking, or hair-pulling.
 Burning with cigarettes, scalding water, or other hot objects.
 Severe physical punishment.

Is physical punishment the same as physical abuse?

Physical abuse is an injury resulting from physical aggression. Physical punishment is the use
of physical force with the intent of inflicting bodily pain, but not injury, for the purpose of
correction or control. As you can see, physical punishment can easily get out of control and
become physical abuse.

Some other specific types of physical child abuse are:

 Shaken Baby Syndrome - Shaking a baby or toddler can cause serious head injuries.
 Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome - Inducing medical illness in a child or wrongly
convincing others that a child is sick is both dangerous and abusive.
 Drug use during pregnancy - Drug and alcohol use during pregnancy or lactation can be
harmful to your child, leading to problems such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Hundreds of thousands of children are physically abused each year by someone close to them,
and thousands of children die from the injuries. For those who survive, the emotional scars are
deeper than the physical scars.
Some signs of physical child abuse:

 Burns, bite marks, cuts, bruises, or welts in the shape of an object.

 Resistance to going home.
 Fear of adults.

What is child sexual abuse?

Sexual abuse of a child is any sexual act between an adult and a child, including penetration,
intercourse, incest, rape, oral sex, and sodomy. Other examples include:

 Fondling - Touching or kissing a child's genitals, making a child fondle an adult's

genitals.
 Violations of bodily privacy - Forcing a child to undress, spying on a child in the
bathroom or bedroom.
 Exposing children to adult sexuality - Performing sexual acts in front of a child, exposing
genitals, telling "dirty" stories, showing pornography to a child.
 Commercial exploitation - Sexual exploitation through child prostitution or child
pornography.

Regardless of the child's behavior or reactions, it is the responsibility of the adult not to engage
in sexual acts with children. Sexual abuse is never the child's fault. Sexual child abusers can be:

 Fathers, mothers, siblings, or other relatives.

 Childcare professionals or babysitters.
 Clergy, teachers, or athletic coaches.
 Foster parents or host families of foreign-exchange students.
 Neighbors or friends.
 Strangers

Some signs of sexual child abuse:

 Inappropriate interest in or knowledge of sexual acts.

 Seductiveness.
 Avoidance of things related to sexuality, or rejection of own genitals or body.
 Either overcompliance or excessive aggression.
 Fear of a particular person or family member.

What is emotional child abuse?

Emotional child abuse is any attitude, behavior, or failure to act that interferes with a child's
mental health or social development. It can range from a simple verbal insult to an extreme
form of punishment. Emotional abuse is almost always present when another form of abuse is
found. Surprisingly, emotional abuse can have more long-lasting negative psychiatric effects
than either physical abuse or sexual abuse.
Other names for emotional abuse are: No Iframes

 Verbal abuse
 Mental abuse
 Psychological maltreatment or psychological abuse

Emotional child abuse can come from adults or from other children:

 Parents or caregivers
 Teachers or athletic coaches
 Siblings
 Bullies at school or elsewhere
 Middle- and high-school girls in social cliques

What is child neglect?

Neglect is a very common type of child abuse. According to Child Welfare Information
Gateway, more children suffer from neglect than from physical and sexual abuse combined. Yet
victims are not often identified, primarily because neglect is a type of child abuse that is an act of
omission - of not doing something.

Some overlap exists between the definitions of emotional abuse and emotional neglect. However,
neglect is a pattern of failing to provide for a child's basic needs. A single act of neglect might
not be considered child abuse, but repeated neglect is definitely child abuse. There are three
basic types of neglect; physical neglect, educational neglect, and emotional neglect.

Failure to provide food, clothing appropriate for the weather,

Physical Neglect supervision, a home that is hygienic and safe, and/or medical care, as
needed.

Failure to enroll a school-age child in school or to provide necessary

Educational Neglect special education. This includes allowing excessive absences from
school.

Failure to provide emotional support, love, and affection. This

Emotional Neglect includes neglect of the child's emotional needs and failure to provide
psychological care, as needed.

Some signs of child neglect:

 Clothing unsuited to the weather.

 Being dirty or unbathed.
 Extreme hunger.
 Apparent lack of supervision.
For more detail on recognizing the warning signs and symptoms of the various types of child
abuse, see Recognizing Child Abuse: What Parents Should Know.

Substance abuse is also a type of child abuse under the law. If any manufacture or use of a controlled
substance abuse takes place in the presence of the child, it is termed as Substance abuse. The
manufacture may take place either in the presence of the child or premises occupied by the child.
Substance abuse also incorporates selling, distributing or giving drugs and alcohol to the child.

Other than physical abuse, emotional abuse is another major kind of child abuse that children suffer.
This abuse can be verbal and generally denigrating to the child. Emotional abuse is more common
amongst siblings.

Another kind of child abuse is neglect. Any failure to provide the necessary commodities of a child life,
more importantly food, clothing, shelter and medical care is termed as neglect. Further, if the parents or
guardians refuse or fail to provide the child with the financial support they require, it can be termed as
neglect.

Abandonment is also maintained to be a type of child abuse. If the identity and whereabouts of the
parents are not known to the child, it is considered as a case of abandonment. Abandonment also
means that the child has been left by the parents in situations where they can face physical harm, or if
the parents have failed to keep in contact with the child for a large span of time.

Child Abuse in itself is a grave legal as well as moral crime. No type of child abuse is worse than the rest.
However, the abuse that maybe mars the child's psychology to the greatest level is sexual abuse. Sexual
abuse is considered to be exposing the child, or making them partners in sexual or sex-related acts.

Sources:
Administration for Children and Families
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
National Institutes of Health -National Library of Medicine
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect