Abuse

Physical Abuse

Emotional Abuse

Physical Abuse- an injury to a child that is not an accident, may include: hitting, punching, beating, burning, biting, cutting, shaking, or any action that physically harms a child.

Possible Signs of Physical Abuse

Unexplained burns, bruises, black eyes or other injuries
Apparent fear of a parent or caretaker
Faded bruises or healing injuries
Injuries that do not match the explanation

Emotional Abuse

Emotional Abuse– maltreatment of a child that may involve criticizing, insulting, yelling, swearing, manipulating, rejecting or withholding love.

Possible Signs of Emotional Abuse:

Acting overly mature or immature for the child’s age
Extreme changes in behavior
Delays in physical or emotional development
Attempted suicide
Lack of emotional attachment to the parent

Neglect

Sexual Abuse

Neglect- failure to provide for a child’s basic physical, emotional, medical or educational needs.

Possible Signs of Neglect:

Frequently missing school
Begging for or stealing money or food
Lacking needed medical or dental care
Being frequently dirty
Using alcohol or other drugs
Saying there is no one at home to take care of him or her

Sexual Abuse

Sexual Abuse– any sexual activity with a child, including exhibitionism, photographs or films, pornography, prostitution, rape, or fondling.

Possible Signs of Sexual Abuse:

Difficulty walking or sitting, or other indications of injury to the genital area
Sexual knowledge or behavior beyond what is normal for the child’s age
Running away from home

Who Abuses Children?

Most often the abuser is someone the child knows, such as a parent, relative, neighbor or friend of the family.

How Often Does Child Abuse Occur?

Each year, close to 3 million reports of suspected abuse are made in the United States. Many more cases never get reported. One victim of child abuse is too many!

Children who are abused may show physical and behavioral signs. You may be a child’s only lifeline to safety. Please pay attention to the treatment of children around you. Child abuse is everyone’s business.

RISK FACTORS

Child abuse and neglect occur in all segments of our society, but the risk factors are greater in families where parents:

Abuse alcohol or drugs
Are isolated from their families or communities
Have difficulty controlling their anger or stress
Appear uninterested in the care, nourishment, or safety of their children
Seem to be having serious economic, housing, or personal problems