Child abuse is often – and mistakenly - associated exclusively with physical abuse. Child abuse can take many forms including: sexual abuse; emotional abuse; neglect; and abandonment.

• Emotional Abuse – ignoring, rejecting, belittling, denial of affection and love, and verbal abuse.
• Sexual Abuse –   inappropriately exposing children to sexual contact, activity or behavior.
• Neglect – failure to provide the child with basic physical, educational, or emotional needs.
• Abandonment – deserting the child and leaving them to fend for themselves.

Whatever form the abuse takes, the impact on the child is significant and long lasting. The effects can range from the inability to develop healthy relationships and coping skills to deviant behavior, drug abuse, depression and suicide.   Child abuse impairs a child's physical and emotional health and development and puts the child at risk for problems that will impact his or her future and ability to become a productive member of society. Consider the following statistics:

• 36.7% of all women in prison and 14.4% of all men in prison in the United States were abused as children.
• Children who have been sexually abused are 2.5 times more likely to abuse alcohol and 3.8 times more likely to become addicted to drugs.
• One third of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children.

The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (42 U.S.C.A. §5106g), as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, defines child abuse and neglect as, at 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.

Sources: kidscenter.org, childhelp.org, childwelfare.gov

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