Parenting — Child Abuse

• How to Recognize and Report Child Abuse

  Most child abuse takes place in the home. Usually, kids are not mature enough to recognize the danger signs or understand they are being abused. Or, they are too frightened to say anything. Here are the forms which child abuse can take and the signs which may indicate that a child is in an abusive situation.

• Responding to Child Sexual Abuse

  When a child tells an adult that he or she has been sexually abused, the adult may feel uncomfortable and may not know what to say or do.

• Child Sexual Abuse

  Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened, and the legal procedure for validating an episode is difficult. The problem should be identified, the abuse stopped, and the child should receive professional help. The long-term emotional and psychological damage of sexual abuse can be devastating to the child.

• Child Abuse – The Hidden Bruises

  The statistics on physical child abuse are alarming. It is estimated hundreds of thousands of children are physically abused each year by a parent or close relative. Thousands die. For those who survive, the emotional trauma remains long after the external bruises have healed.