The Abused Child

The term child abuse encompasses four basic types of mistreatment:

Physical Abuse and Neglect
Emotional and Sexual Abuse

Other types of abuse that are increasing are organized abuse and internet abuse.

The frequency of documented child abuse increases with the age of the victim. Children
less than two years of age account for 6 per 1000, versus 15 to 17 years of age at 14
per 1000 cases. This statistic may reflect a true increase in mistreatment with the age of
the child or it may in part reflect a rise in reporting. Obviously, very young children are
incapable of verbally communicating the harm inflicted on them.

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of
unreported instances is far greater. Estimates indicate that one in four females and one
in five males are sexually abused each year. The children are often afraid to tell anyone
what has happened, and the legal procedure for validating an episode is difficult. Other
factors such as fear, guilt, or confusion about the abuser's erratic behavior may also
hinder younger children from informing on their abuser.

Forms of sexual abuse can include:

Indecent exposure/exhibitionism
Exposing children to pornographic material
Deliberately exposing a child to the act of sexual intercourse
Mastubating in front of a child
Fondling
Making a child touch their or another's sexual organs
Any penetration of a child's vagina or anus by an object that doesn't have a medical
purpose
Engaging a child for the purposes of prostitution
Using a child to film, photograph, or model pornography