What is child abuse?

There are many forms of child abuse all of which consist of any act upon a child that impairs their physical or emotional health and development.  Child abuse includes any damage done to a child which cannot be reasonably explained and which is often represented by an injury or series of injuries appearing to be non-accidental in nature.

Major forms of child abuse (as defined on www.childhelpusa.org)

Physical abuse - Any non-accidental injury to a child. This includes hitting, kicking, slapping, shaking, burning, pinching, hair pulling, biting, choking, throwing, shoving, whipping, and paddling.

Sexual abuse - Any sexual act between an adult and child. This includes fondling, penetration, intercourse, exploitation, pornography, exhibitionism, child prostitution, group sex, oral sex, or forced observation of sexual acts.

Neglect - Failure to provide for a child's physical needs. This includes lack of supervision, inappropriate housing or shelter, inadequate provision of food, inappropriate clothing for season or weather, abandonment, denial of medical care, and inadequate hygiene.

Emotional abuse - Any attitude or behavior which interferes with a child's mental health or social development. This includes yelling, screaming, name-calling, shaming, negative comparisons to others, telling them they are "bad, no good, worthless" or "a mistake". It also includes the failure to provide the affection and support necessary for the development of a child's emotional, social, physical and intellectual well-being. This includes ignoring, lack of appropriate physical affection (hugs), not saying "I love you", withdrawal of attention, lack of praise, and lack of positive reinforcement.

REACTION TO REVELATION OF SEXUAL ABUSE PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE IN HEALING, PROSECUTION

According to Childhelp USA®, hundreds of thousands of child sexual abuse reports are made each year throughout the country. It is suspected that the majority of incidents of sexual abuse are never reported to the authorities.

If a child were to reveal his or her painful secret to you, would you know how to react? According to professionals who work with abused children, your immediate response plays an important role in how well the child rebounds from the emotional wounds. In addition, what you say -or don’t say- may determine whether a strong case can be built against the person responsible for the abuse.

Childhelp USA is asking everyone to learn the following information so they are prepared to help a child victim, if the situation arises.

Be open and understanding.

Try to stay calm. If you react strongly, the child may stop talking, take back information or internalize this as another reason to feel bad about him or herself. Reassure the child that you are glad that he/she told someone.

Don’t try to conduct an investigation, yourself.

Let the professionals ask questions regarding what happened, when, and with whom. Defense attorneys often attempt to discredit information provided by the child, if the child has been asked "leading" questions about the abuse.

If the child tells you of the sexual abuse immediately after it occurred, DO NOT bathe the child, or wash or change his or her clothes.

You may destroy valuable evidence.

Let the child talk as much as he or she wishes.

Often, they have been carrying this secret for a long time and need to "let it out" to lessen their burden. Find a quiet place to talk. Encourage the child to express his or her feelings, but don't interrogate them.

Understand that the child is probably having mixed feelings.

Frequently, the perpetrator of sexual abuse is someone close to the child. Although the child may have strong negative feelings about the person’s abusive behavior, he or she also may love them for other behaviors.

Believe the child.

Children rarely make up stories about sexual abuse. Also, they tend to keep the abuse a secret for a long time because they have been threatened by the perpetrator and repeatedly told the abuse is their own fault. Reassure the child that they are not to blame for what happened.

Explain what you will do next to help them.

Suspected abuse is sufficient reason to make a report. Immediately call your local police and child protective services offices. Abuse must be reported within the state in which it occurred. When you call, be prepared to provide (if possible): the child's name, age, address, gender, school attended, and the names of the parents. If you aren’t sure of the local reporting number, call the Childhelp USA® National Child Abuse Hotline,   1-800-4-A-CHILD® (1-800-422-4453) to obtain it.

For additional information about child abuse, call the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD. The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day by professionals who provide crisis intervention, information, literature and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service and support resources in the United States and Canada. Calls are anonymous and toll-free. State-of-the-art technology provides translators in approximately 140 languages.