CHILD ABUSE
as isolating, ignoring or rejecting a
-Any intentional harm or mistreatment to a
child under 18 years old is considered child
abuse. Child abuse takes many forms, which
often occur at the same time.
● . Physical child abuse
occurs when a child is purposely
physically injured or put at risk of
harm by another person.
● Child sexual abuse is
any sexual activity with a child. This
can involve sexual contact, such as
intentional sexual touching, oral-
genital contact or intercourse. This
can also involve noncontact sexual
abuse of a child, such as exposing a
child to sexual activity or
pornography; observing or filming a
child in a sexual manner; sexual
harassment of a child; or prostitution
of a child, including sex trafficking.
● . Emotional child
abuse means injuring a child's self-
esteem or emotional well-being. It
includes verbal and emotional
assault — such as continually
belittling or berating a child — as well
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child.
● . Medical child abuse
occurs when someone gives false
information about illness in a child
that requires medical attention,
putting the child at risk of injury and
unnecessary medical care.
● . Child neglect is failure to
provide adequate food, clothing,
shelter, clean living conditions,
affection, supervision, education, or
dental or medical care.
A child who's being abused may feel guilty,
ashamed or confused. The child may be
afraid to tell anyone about the abuse,
especially if the abuser is a parent, other
relative or family friend. That's why it's vital to
watch for red flags, such as:
1.Withdrawal from friends or usual activities
2.Changes in behavior — such as
aggression, anger, hostility or hyperactivity
— or changes in school performance
3.Depression, anxiety or unusual fears, or a
sudden loss of self-confidence
4.Sleep problems and nightmares
 CHILD ABUSE

● Statements by the child that he or she

5.An apparent lack of supervision
was sexually abused

6.Frequent absences from school

7.Rebellious or defiant behavior ● Inappropriate sexual behavior with
other children

8.Self-harm or attempts at suicide

● Delayed or inappropriate emotional

Specific signs and symptoms depend on the
development
type of abuse and can vary. Keep in mind
that warning signs are just that — warning
signs. The presence of warning signs doesn't
● Loss of self-confidence or self-
esteem
necessarily mean that a child is being
abused.
● Social withdrawal or a loss of interest
or enthusiasm

● Unexplained injuries, such as

bruises, broken bones (fractures) or ● Depression

burns
● Avoidance of certain situations, such
● Injuries that don't match the given as refusing to go to school or ride the
explanation bus

● Injuries that aren't compatible with

the child's developmental ability ● Appears to desperately seek
affection

● Sexual behavior or knowledge that's ● A decrease in school performance or

inappropriate for the child's age
loss of interest in school
● Pregnancy or a sexually transmitted
infection
● Loss of previously acquired
● Genital or anal pain, bleeding, or developmental skills
injury

● Poor growth

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 CHILD ABUSE
● Excessive weight with medical
complications that are not being
adequately addressed
● Poor personal cleanliness
● Lack of clothing or supplies to meet
physical needs
● Hoarding or stealing food
● Poor record of school attendance
● Lack of appropriate attention for
medical, dental or psychological
problems or lack of necessary follow-
up care
Sometimes a parent's demeanor or behavior
sends red flags about child abuse. Warning
signs include a parent who:
●Shows little concern for the child
●Appears unable to recognize physical or
emotional distress in the child
●Blames the child for the problems
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●Consistently belittles or berates the child,
and describes the child with negative terms,
such as "worthless" or "evil"
●Expects the child to provide attention and
care to the parent and seems jealous of other
family members getting attention from the
child
●Uses harsh physical discipline
●Demands an inappropriate level of physical
or academic performance
●Severely limits the child's contact with
others
●Offers conflicting or unconvincing
explanations for a child's injuries or no
explanation at all
●Repeatedly brings the child for medical
evaluations or requests medical tests, such
as X-rays and lab tests, for concerns not
seen during the health care provider's
examination
Child health experts condemn the use of
violence in any form, but some people still
use physical punishment, such as spanking,
to discipline their children. While parents and
caregivers often use physical punishment
 CHILD ABUSE

with the intention of helping their children or ● Financial stress, unemployment or

making their behavior better, research shows poverty
that spanking is linked with worse, not better,
behavior. It's also linked to mental health ● Social or extended family isolation
problems, difficult relationships with parents,
lower self-esteem and lower academic ● Poor understanding of child
performance. development and parenting skills

Any physical punishment may leave ● Alcohol, drugs or other substance

emotional scars. Parental behaviors that abuse
cause pain, physical injury or emotional
trauma — even when done in the name of
discipline — could be child abuse. Some children overcome the physical and
psychological effects of child abuse,
particularly those with strong social support
Factors that may increase a person's risk of and resiliency skills who can adapt and cope
becoming abusive include: with bad experiences. For many others,
however, child abuse may result in physical,
● A history of being abused or behavioral, emotional or mental health
neglected as a child issues — even years later.

● Physical or mental illness, such as Here are some examples

depression or post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD)

● Family crisis or stress, including ● Premature death

domestic violence and other marital
conflicts, or single parenting ● Physical disabilities

● A child in the family who is ● Learning disabilities

developmentally or physically
disabled ● Substance abuse

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 CHILD ABUSE

● Health problems, such as heart ● An unhealthy view of parenthood

disease, diabetes, chronic lung
disease and cancer ● Inability to cope with stress and
frustrations

● An acceptance that violence is a

● Illegal or violent behavior normal part of relationships

● Abuse of others

● Withdrawal ● Eating disorders

● Suicide attempts or self-injury ● Personality disorders

● High-risk sexual behaviors or teen ● Behavior disorders

pregnancy
● Depression
● Problems in school or not finishing
high school ● Anxiety disorders

● Limited social and relationship skills ● Post-traumatic stress disorder

(PTSD)
● Problems with work or staying
employed ● Trouble sleeping (insomnia) and
nightmares

● Attachment disorders
● Low self-esteem

● Difficulty establishing or maintaining You can take important steps to protect your
relationships child from exploitation and child abuse, as
well as prevent child abuse in your
● Challenges with intimacy and trust neighborhood or community. The goal is to

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 CHILD ABUSE
provide safe, stable, nurturing relationships
for children.
●Offer your child love and attention.
Nurture and listen to your child and be
involved in your child's life to develop trust
and good communication. Encourage your
child to tell you if there's a problem. A
supportive family environment and social
networks can help improve your child's
feelings of self-esteem and self-worth.
●Don't respond in anger. If you feel
overwhelmed or out of control, take a break.
Don't take out your anger on your child. Talk
with your health care provider or a therapist
about ways you can learn to cope with stress
and better interact with your child.
●Think supervision. Don't leave a young
child home alone. In public, keep a close eye
on your child. Volunteer at school and for
activities to get to know the adults who spend
time with your child. When old enough to go
out without supervision, encourage your
child to stay away from strangers and to hang
out with friends rather than be alone. Make it
a rule that your child tells you where he or
she is at all times. Find out who's supervising
your child — for example, at a sleepover.
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●Know your child's caregivers. Check
references for babysitters and other
caregivers. Make irregular, but frequent,
unannounced visits to observe what's
happening. Don't allow substitutes for your
usual child care provider if you don't know
the substitute.
●Emphasize when to say no. Make sure
your child understands that he or she doesn't
have to do anything that seems scary or
uncomfortable. Encourage your child to
leave a threatening or frightening situation
immediately and seek help from a trusted
adult. If something happens, encourage your
child to talk to you or another trusted adult
about what happened. Assure your child that
it's OK to talk and that he or she won't get in
trouble.
●Teach your child how to stay safe online.
Put the computer in a common area of your
home, not the child's bedroom. Use the
parental controls to restrict the types of
websites your child can visit. Check your
child's privacy settings on social networking
sites. Consider it a red flag if your child is
secretive about online activities.
Cover online ground rules, such as not
sharing personal information; not responding
to inappropriate, hurtful or frightening
messages; and not arranging to meet an
 CHILD ABUSE

online contact in person without your ● Information about the child's medical
permission. Tell your child to let you know if and developmental history
an unknown person makes contact through
a social networking site. Report online ● Description or observation of the
harassment or inappropriate senders to your child's behavior
service provider and local authorities, if
necessary. ● Observing interactions between
parents or caregivers and the child
●Reach out. Meet the families in your
neighborhood, including parents and ● Discussions with parents or
children. Develop a network of supportive caregivers
family and friends. If a friend or neighbor
seems to be struggling, offer to babysit or ● Talking, when possible, with the child
consider joining a parent support group so
that you have an appropriate place to vent If child abuse or neglect is suspected, a
your frustrations.help in another way. report needs to be made to an appropriate
local child welfare agency to further
investigate the case. Early identification of
Identifying abuse or neglect can be difficult. child abuse can keep children safe by
It requires careful evaluation of the situation, stopping abuse and preventing future abuse
including checking for physical and from occurring.
behavioral signs.

Factors that may be considered in Treatment can help both children and
determining child abuse include: parents in abuse situations. The first priority
is ensuring the safety and protection for
● Physical exam, including evaluating children who have been abused. Ongoing
injuries or signs and symptoms of treatment focuses on preventing future
suspected abuse or neglect abuse and reducing the long-term
psychological and physical consequences of
● Lab tests, X-rays or other tests abuse.

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 CHILD ABUSE
If necessary, help the child seek appropriate
medical care. Seek immediate medical
attention if a child has signs of an injury or a
change in consciousness. Follow-up care
with a health care provider may be required.
Talking with a mental health professional
can:
● Help a child who has been abused
learn to trust again
● Teach a child about healthy behavior
and relationships
● Teach a child conflict management
and boost self-esteem
Several different types of therapy may be
effective, such as:
● Trauma-focused cognitive
behavioral therapy (CBT). Trauma-
focused CBT helps a child who has
been abused to better manage
distressing feelings and to deal with
trauma-related memories.
Eventually, the supportive parent
who has not abused the child and the
child are seen together so the child
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can tell the parent exactly what
happened.
● Child-parent psychotherapy. This
treatment focuses on improving the
parent-child relationship and on
building a stronger attachment
between the two.
Psychotherapy also can help parents:
● Discover the roots of abuse
● Learn effective ways to cope with
life's unavoidable frustrations
● Learn healthy parenting strategies
If the child is still in the home, social services
may schedule home visits and make sure
essential needs, such as food, are available.
Children who are placed into foster care may
need mental health services.
If a child tells you he or she is being abused,
take the situation seriously. The child's safety
is most important. Here's what you can do:
● Encourage the child to tell you
what happened. Remain calm as
you assure the child that it's OK to
talk about the experience, even if
 CHILD ABUSE

someone has threatened him or her
to keep silent. Focus on listening, not
investigating. Consider that children
may use alternate terms for body
parts. Don't ask leading questions —
allow the child to explain what
happened and leave detailed
questioning to the professionals.
the presence of the abuser. Help the
child get medical attention if needed.
● Consider additional support. You
might help the child seek counseling
or other mental health treatment.
Age-appropriate support groups also
can be helpful.

● Remind the child that he or she ● If the abuse has occurred at

isn't responsible for the abuse. school, make sure the principal of
The responsibility for child abuse the school is aware of the situation
belongs to the abuser. Say "It's not and report it to the local or state child
your fault" over and over again. welfare agency.

● Offer comfort. You might say,

"Thank you for letting me know," "I'm
glad that you told me," and "I'll do
everything I can to help you." Let the
child know you're available to talk or
simply listen at any time.

● Report the abuse. Contact a local

child welfare agency or the police
department. Authorities will
investigate the report and, if
necessary, take steps to ensure the
child's safety.

● Help the child remain safe. Ensure

the child's safety by separating the
abuser and the child, and by
providing supervision if the child is in

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