What is Child Abuse?
Child abuse is the mistreatment of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or other adult in a custodial role, such as a teacher, coach, or religious leader. This abuse has short-term and long-term effects that harm the child and the community.
Neglect
Neglect is the failure to meet the basic and emotional needs of a child. These include failing to provide housing, food, clothing, education, or access to medical care, or not validating or appropriately responding to a child.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force that can result in physical injury. This can include hitting, kicking, violently shaking, abusive head trauma (physical abuse that results in a brain injury), or using other shows of force against a child.
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse is behaviors that harm a child’s self-worth or emotional well-being. This can include name-calling, shaming, rejecting, and withholding love.
Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse is any completed or attempted sexual acts or sexual contact with a child by a caregiver or other adult. This can take place within the family by a parent, stepparent, sibling, or other relative, or it can take place outside the home by a friend, neighbor, childcare person, teacher, or stranger. Sexual abuse includes fondling, penetration, and exposing a child to other sexual activities.
Risk Factors
While these facts increase the likelihood of child abuse, they may or may not be the direct cause of abuse. Understanding these risk factors and their relation to child abuse can help in recognizing potential cases of child abuse and opportunities for prevention.
Children (As Victims)
- Children younger than four years of age
- Children with special needs that may increase caregiver burden, such as:
- Disabilities
- Mental health issues
- Chronic physical illnesses
- Children and youth who don’t feel close to their parents or caregivers and feel like they can’t talk to them about their feelings
- Youth who start dating early or engaging in sexual activity early
- Children and youth with few or no friends or with friends who engage in aggressive or delinquent behavior
Caretakers
- Caregivers with drug or alcohol issues
- Caregivers with mental health issues, such as depression
- Caregivers who don’t understand children’s needs or development
- Caregivers who were abused or neglected as children
- Caregivers who are young or single parents or parents with many children
- Caregivers with low education or income
- Caregivers experiencing high levels of parenting stress or economic stress
- Caregivers who use spanking and other forms of corporal punishment for discipline
- Caregivers in the home who are not a biological parent
- Caregivers with attitudes accepting of or justifying violence or aggression
Relationships/ Families
- Families experiencing caregiving challenges related to children with special needs, such as:
- Disabilities
- Mental health issues
- Chronic physical illnesses
- Families that have household members in jail
- Families that are isolated from and not connected to other people (extended family, friends, neighbors, etc.)
- Families experiencing other types of violence, including domestic violence
- Families with high conflict and negative communications styles
- Families with inconsistent discipline and/or low levels of parental monitoring and supervision
Communities
- Communities with high rates of violence and crime
- Communities with high rates of poverty and limited educational and economic opportunities
- Communities with high unemployment rates
- Communities with easy access to drugs and alcohol
- Communities where neighbors don’t know or look out for each other
- Communities where there is low community involvement among residents
- Communities with few community activities for young people
- Communities with unstable housing and where residents move frequently
- Communities where families frequently experience food insecurity
Warning Signs
Recognizing early signs of early child abuse can help protect children from future mistreatment and violence.
General
Abuse may be present if a child and their caregiver:
- Touch or look at each other rarely
- Consider their relationship entirely negative
- State consistently they do not like each other
A child may be experiencing abuse if the child:
- Shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance
- Has not received help for physical or medical problems brought to the caregiver’s attention
- Has learning problems or difficulty concentrating that cannot be attributed to specific physical or psychological causes
- Is always watchful, as though preparing for something bad to happen
- Lacks adult supervision
- Is overly compliant, passive, or withdrawn
- Comes to school or other activities early, stays late, and does not want to go home
- Is reluctant to be around a particular person
- Discloses maltreatment
A caregiver may be abusing a child if the caregiver:
- Denies the existence of – or blames the child for – the child’s problems in school or at home
- Asks teachers or other caregivers to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves
- Sees the child as entirely bad, worthless, or burdensome
- Demands a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve
- Looks primarily to the child for care, attention, and satisfaction of the parent’s emotional needs
- Shows little concern for the child
Neglect
A child may be experiencing neglect if the child:
- Is frequently absent from school
- Begs or steals food or money
- Lacks needed medical care (including immunizations), dental care, or glasses
- Is consistently dirty and has severe body odor
- Lacks sufficient clothing for the weather
- Abuses alcohol or other drugs
- States that there is no one at home to provide care
A caregiver may be neglecting a child under their care if the caregiver:
- Appears to be indifferent to the child
- Seems apathetic or depressed
- Behaves irrationally or in a bizarre manner
- Abuses alcohol or other drugs
Physical Abuse
A child may be experiencing physical abuse if the child:
- Has unexplained injuries, such as:
- Burns
- Bite marks
- Bruises
- Broken bones
- Black eyes
- Has fading bruises or other noticeable marks after an absence from school
- Seems scared, anxious, depressed, withdrawn, or aggressive
- Seems frightened of their parent or caretaker and protests or cries when it’s time to go home
- Shrinks at the approach of adults
- Shows changes in eating and sleeping habits
- Reports injury by a parent or another caretaker
- Abuses animals or pets
A caregiver may be abusing a child if the caretaker:
- Offers conflicting, unconvincing, or no explanation for the child’s injury or provides an explanation that is not consistent with the injury
- Shows little concern for the child
- Sees the child as entirely bad, burdensome, or worthless
- Uses harsh physical discipline with the child
- Has a history of abusing animals or pets
Emotional Abuse
A child may be experiencing emotional abuse if the child:
- Shows extremes in behavior, such as being overly compliant or demanding or extremely passive
- Shows behavior that is either inappropriately adult (such as parenting other children) or inappropriately infantile (such as frequently rocking or head-banging)
- Is delayed in physical or emotional development
- Shows signs of depression or suicidal thoughts
- Reports an inability to develop emotional bonds with others
A caregiver may be emotionally abusing a child if the caregiver:
- Constantly blames, belittles, or berates the child
- Describes the child negatively
- Overtly rejects the child
Sexual Abuse
A child may be experiencing sexual abuse if the child:
- Has difficulty walking or sitting
- Experiences bleeding, bruising, or swelling in their genital area
- Suddenly refuses to go to school
- Reports nightmares, bedwetting, or other sleep problems
- Experiences a sudden change in appetite
- Demonstrates bizzarre, sophisticated, or unusual sexual knowledge or behavior
- Avoids all things of a sexual nature
- Makes statements that their bodies are dirty or damaged, or fear that there is something wrong with them in the genital area
- Becomes pregnant or contracts a sexually transmitted disease, particularly if under 14
- Attaches very quickly to strangers or new adults in their environment
- Becomes withdrawn and mistrustful of adults
- Runs away
- Has poor focus and concentration at school
- Becomes secretive
- Is unusually aggressive
- Shows aspects of sexual molestation in drawings, games, or fantasies
- Self harms or shows other suicidal behaviors
- Reports sexual abuse by a parent or another adult caregiver
A caregiver may be sexually abusing a child if the caretaker:
- Tries to be the child’s friend rather than assume an adult role
- Makes up excuses to be alone with the child
- Talks with the child about the adult’s personal problems or relationships
By The Numbers
1 in
0
children experience child abuse or neglect annually in the U.S.
Source: cdc.gov
0
children in the U.S. died of abuse or neglect in 2022 - that's around 5 children per day.
Source: acf.gov
0
%
of 21-year-olds who reported experiencing child abuse fit the criteria for at least one physiological disorder.
Source: childhelp.org
1 in
0
girls experience child sexual abuse in the United States.
Source: cdc.gov
1 in
0
boys experience child sexual abuse in the United States.
Source: cdc.gov
0
%
of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by someone known and trusted by the child.
Source: cdc.gov
1 in
0
child maltreatment deaths in the U.S. are caused by abusive head trauma.
Source: cdc.gov
Over
0
%
of children who died from maltreatment were under three years old.
Source: childhelp.org
Over
0
%
of child maltreatment deaths in the U.S. involve at least one parent as the perpetrator.
Source: childhelp.org
Native Americans
have the highest rates of victimzation for child abuse and neglect.
Source: acf.gov
Our Children, Our Responsibility
Everyone has a role in protecting children from child abuse.
Caregivers
- Set aside time each day to talk or play with your child
- Establish routines to provide stability for your child
- Validate your child’s feelings and offer physical and emotional support
- Know who is supervising your child when they’re outside your home
- Teach your child how to stay safe when they’re online or on digital devices
- Talk to your child about their mental health and provide support for challenges they may be experiencing
- Help your chld learn to recognize and manage their emotions
- Watch for signs of distress in your child, such as:
- Look for opportunities to praise your child
- See parenting skill training programs to help build stronger relationships with your children
- Seek help when needed
- Reach out to babysitters, childcare providers, family members, or close friends
- Discuss your concerns with your child’s doctor
- See if your community offers support groups or programs for parents and caregivers
Extended Family/ Friends/ Other Trusted Adults
- Consider volunteering as a mentor at an afterschool program
- Consider offering to babysit
- Develop nurturing, supportive relationships with the children in your life
Neighborhoods
- Connect families to resources and other neighborhood adults to help with household tasks or with childcare
Community Organizations
Community organizations can include faith-based groups, youth-serving groups, and others.
- Support early development by improving access to quality childcare, preschool programs, and in-home training for child health
- Ensure childcare facilities at faith-based or youth-serving groups are licensed and accredited
- Promote healthy relationships by offering programs that teach youth skills to enhance healthy relationships
- Connect young peole with positive role models
- Provide opportunities for skill-building through mentoring programs and after-school activities
- Provide services like crisis intervention, therapy, and family-centered treatment to reduce harm when abuse or other trauma does occur
Employers
- Adopt or support workplace policies that help families, such as:
- Livable wages
- Paid leave
- Flexible and consistent schedules
Everyone
- Support children and families where you live and work
- Help encourage parents and caregivers to ask for help when they need it
- Offer support and encouragement to reduce stress
- Support efforts to:
- Adopt policies that:
- Provide families assistance with childcare costs and healthy nutrition
- Help parents balance work and family responsibilities like paid time off for caregiving and flexible work schedules
- Strengthen economic supports to families
- Promote non-violent attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors
- Increase access to high-quality childcare and education
- Provide access to free or low-cost, evidence-based parent training
- Create safe places or neighborhood activities where children are supervised and families can gather
- Discourage violence and help ensure the safety of all members of a community
- Adopt policies that:
- Change social norms to support positive parenting
Protective Factors
Protective factors reduces the risk of child abuse and improves the safety and stability of the community.
Individual
- Caregivers who create safe, positive relationships with children
- Caregivers who practice nurturing parenting skills and provide emotional support
- Caregivers who can meet basic needs, such as food, shelter, education, and health services
- Caregivers who have a college degree or higher and have steady employment
Relationships/ Families
- Families with strong social support networks and stable, positive relationships with the people around them
- Families where caregivers are present and interested in the child
- Families where caregivers enforce household rules and engage in child monitoring
- Families with caring adults outside the family who can serve as role models or mentors
Communities
- Communities with access to safe, stable housing
- Communities where families have access to:
- High-quality preschool
- Nurturing and safe childcare
- Safe, engaging after school programs and activities
- Medical care and mental health services
- Economic and financial help
- Communities where adults have work opportunities with family-friendly policies
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the effects of child abuse?
Child abuse and neglect increases the risk of:
- Injury
- Sexually-transmitted diseases
- Becoming a future victim or perpetrator of violence, including sexual violence
- Future substance abuse
- Risky sexual behaviors that could result in pregnancy or STIs
- Learning, attention, and memory difficulties
- Lower educational attainment
- Limited employment opportunities
- Toxic stress (prolonged or extended stress), which negatively affects:
- Brain development
- Immune system
- Stress-response systems
- Forming healthy and stable relationships
- Finances and job stability
- Mental health conditions, such as:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Maternal and child health problems, including:
- Teen pregnancy
- Pregnancy complications
- Fetal death
- Chronic diseases and leading causes of death, including:
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Suicide
- Shorter life expectancy
How can I help a child recover from child abuse?
- Assure the child that they are safe
- Explain that they are not responsible for what happened
- Be patient as they recover – some children will recover more quickly than others
- Seek the help of a trained professional
