The Four Main Types Of Child Abuse

Child abuse usually takes one of four forms: neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse or sexual abuse. A child may suffer from one or more forms of abuse at any given time.

Abuse and neglect can occur within a family, in the community or in an institutional setting. The abuser may be someone known to the child or a stranger, and can be an adult or another child. Some children may be more vulnerable to abuse than others.

In particular, children with disabilities, children with communication difficulties, children in care or living away from home, or children with a parent or parents with problems in their own lives may be more susceptible to harm.

 

Neglect

Neglect occurs when an adult fails to take care of a child and this causes significant harm or stops a child developing properly. Neglect is something that happens over time and not just at one specific point. Neglect may include:

  • Not keeping a child properly fed, kept warm, clean or clothed
  • Not keeping a child safe
  • Not giving attention and affection to a child
  • Not bringing a child to school
  • Not getting medical care for a child, if they need it

Emotional neglect may also lead to the child having attachment difficulties. The extent of the damage to the child’s health, development or welfare is influenced by a range of factors.

Neglect is strongly linked to parental substance misuse, domestic violence, and parental mental illness and disability. A reasonable concern for the child’s welfare would exist when neglect becomes a normal part of the relationship between the child and the parent or carer.

 

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse usually happens when an adult is not affectionate or supportive towards a child. This form of abuse is more about the kind of relationship a child has with an adult rather than incidents that take place. Emotional abuse can also occur when adults responsible for taking care of children are unaware of or unable to meet their children’s emotional and developmental needs.

Emotional abuse is not easy to recognise because the effects are not easily seen.

Emotional abuse may include:

  • Rejection
  • Lack of comfort and love
  • Lack of fun and play
  • Lack of praise and encouragement
  • Persistent criticism and sarcasm
  • Blaming of the child and bullying
  • Only providing care and affection to a child depending on their behaviour or actions
  • Extreme overprotectiveness
  • Inappropriate non-physical punishment (e.g. locking child in bedroom)
  • Inappropriate expectations of a child relative to his/her age and stage of development

Emotional abuse is more likely to impact negatively on a child where it is persistent over time and where there is a lack of other protective factors. Signs of emotional abuse include a child feeling insecure, unhappy, having low self-esteem, underachieving in school or displaying risk-taking and aggressive behaviour. Once-off and occasional difficulties between a parent/carer and child are not considered emotional abuse.

 

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is when someone deliberately hurts a child physically, puts them at risk of being physically hurt or, where possible, fails to take action to stop them from being physically hurt. It may occur as a single incident or as a pattern of incidents. This type of abuse includes severely physically punishing or deliberately hurting a child.

Physical abuse may include but is not limited to:

  • Physical punishment
  • Slapping, hitting or beating
  • Pinching or biting
  • Kicking or pushing
  • Shaking
  • Threatening
  • Choking or suffocating
  • Poisoning
  • Hair-pulling
  • Watching someone else hurt a child and not stopping them

A reasonable concern exists where the child’s health and/ or development is, may be, or has been, damaged as a result of suspected physical abuse.

 

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse occurs when a child is used by another person for his or her sexual pleasure or arousal, or for that of others. It includes the child being involved in sexual acts or exposing the child to sexual activity directly or through pornography. Child sexual abuse most commonly happens within the family and can be perpetrated by those in the immediate family, older siblings, extended family members or others. Cases of sexual abuse mainly come to light through disclosure by the child or his or her siblings/friends, from the suspicions of an adult, and/or by physical symptoms.

Sexual abuse may include:

  • Any sexual act intentionally performed in the
    presence of a child
  • An invitation to sexual touching or intentional touching of a child’s body by a person or object for the purpose of sexual arousal or satisfaction
  • Masturbation in the presence of a child or the involvement of a child in an act of masturbation
  • Sexual intercourse with a child, whether oral, vaginal or anal
  • Inviting or forcing a child to engage in prostitution, the production of child pornography or to participate in, or to observe, any sexual act
  • Showing sexual material to children
  • Exposing a child to inappropriate or abusive material through technology
  • Any sexual activity involving an adult and an underage person – consent cannot be given by an underage person, whether they may appear to express their agreement to participating in the activity or not.

You can read how we presented information about abuse to children and young people through our Childline.ie site here.

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