Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional mistreatment of children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Most child abuse occurs in a child's home, with a smaller amount occurring in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with. There are four major categories of child abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse.

Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child abuse for the purposes of removing a child from his/her family and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. According to the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, child abuse is "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, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm".

History

Battered Child Syndrome first described by the French Forensic medicine specialist, Auguste Ambroise Tardieu (10 April 1818 – 12 January 1879). In recognition of his first descriptions Battered Child Syndrome is also known as Tardieu's Syndrome.

Types

Child abuse can take several forms: The four main types are physical, sexual, psychological, and neglect.

• Child Advocacy Groups (338)
• Prevention (98)
• Treatment (16)

• Child Slavery@ (7)
• Critical Views (7)
• Domestic Violence and Child Abuse (4)
• Ritual Abuse (12)
• Sexual Abuse (29)

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome@ (24)
• Munchausen Syndrome@ (8)
• Shaken Baby Syndrome (18)

See also:

• Society: Issues: Children, Youth and Family: Corporal Punishment (15)
• Society: Issues: Disabilities: Abuse (12)
• Society: Issues: Violence and Abuse: Family Violence (70)
• Society: People: Men: Issues: Violence and Abuse: False Accusations (22)

• Law Enforcement Response to Child Abuse
  ncjrs.gov
  This guide arms law enforcement professionals with the information needed to ensure consistency in their investigation of child abuse.
• Munchausen By Proxy
  mbpexpert.com
  Information on factitious disorders by Louisa J. Lasher. Its arguments include harm to children by a parent.
• You Carry the Cure In Your Own Heart
  vachss.com
  Emotional abuse of children can lead, in adulthood, to addiction, rage, a severely damaged sense of self and an inability to truly bond with others. But-if it happened to you-there is a way out.