What is Child Abuse?

When the media runs stories about child abuse in its most extreme forms--parents who starve their kids or sexually abuse them or beat them to death--the mistreatment described is so horrific as to be almost unbelievable. Everyone would agree that those cases are clear examples of child abuse. But what about situations that are not so clear-cut? Is it abusive to scream at your child? To swat his behind? To rage through the house and throw things? To lock her in the bedroom when she is having a tantrum?

Parents Anonymous, Inc., a nationwide child abuse prevention, education and treatment program, describes six forms of child abuse:

Verbal Abuse: Use of insulting, degrading or foul language to demean the child and undermine his sense of self-esteem.
Emotional Abuse: Includes acts or omissions by the parent that cause serious emotional problems. Emotional abuse is almost always present when other forms of abuse occur.
Emotional Neglect: Consists of the parent's emotional withdrawal from the child and is a form of passive abuse. Emotional neglect occurs when the parent behaves in a manner that deprives the child of emotional support and nurturing.
Physical Abuse: Characterized by non-accidental physical injury to a child. The injury may be the result of over-discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate for the child's age. Parent's Anonymous carries this definition further to include any physical contact with a child that is a means of venting the parent's anger.
Physical Neglect: Failure on the part of the parent to provide for the child's basic needs, such as the proper amount of food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, physical hygiene or adequate supervision.
Sexual Abuse: Any sexual or sexually provocative behavior or intentional invasion of privacy by the parent with his or her child, regardless of the consent of the child.

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This page last updated November 6, 1996 by:

Brent Wellman wellman@vix.com