3 Things You Need to Know About Identifying Signs of Child Abuse

Is it Child Abuse?

Child Abuse can take place in a variety of forms; some of which are visible, others are not. In certain cases, bruises, injuries, or blemishes may be prominent signs of Child Abuse; in other cases, the presence of those injuries may not be signs of child abuse – they may simply be the result of an accident. Any type of overwhelming uncertainty or ambiguity may contributory to the difficulty inherent within identifying the signs of child abuse. Furthermore, the varying nature of child abuse exist in conjunction with varying signs of child abuse; while the effects of physical and sexual child abuse may be more evident through the existence of bodily harm and injury, the signs of emotional and psychological child abuse may only be evident through dialogue or witnessing.

Signs of Child Abuse

Child abuse can take place in a variety of settings, actions, and classifications; primarily, the most common types of child abuse are sexual child abuse, emotional or psychological child abuse, and physical child abuse – all of these types of child abuse retain a variance with regard to specific signs of child abuse:

Signs of Physical Child Abuse

Physical Child Abuse is defined as the attack or assault of a child or minor through the use of force, violence, or any other variety of physical means intended for bodily harm; within the scope of this type of child abuse, the corollary effects of child abuse may present themselves in the form of bruises, injuries, legions, cuts, scars, and blemishes on the body of a victim – furthermore, these signs of child abuse typically occur on a habitual, repeat, or consistent basis.

Signs of Emotional or Psychological Child Abuse

This type of child abuse is classified as the verbal or emotional debasement directed at a child or minor; although this type of child abuse can be the most difficult to define, it is nonetheless an extremely serious offense. Oftentimes, brief mentions of this type of abuse may be the only available signs of child abuse; these signs may present themselves in the form of hints and attempts to convey the abuse on the part of the victim.

Signs of Sexual Child Abuse

Sexual Child Abuse involves the illegal engagement of a child in illicit, unlawful, and unethical sexual activity; due to the fact that children are unable to consent to the participation with regard to any nature of sexual activity, this crime is considered to be both exploitative and predatory by nature. The signs of child abuse sexual in nature may mirror those latent within both physical abuse and emotional abuse; sexual child abuse may range in result – this can include bodily harm or emotional trauma.

What to Do if You Have Noticed the Effects of Child Abuse

Individuals have been victims, made aware of, or witnessed child abuses are encouraged to contact their local authorities or law enforcement department in order to report the details of the offense; in the event that an individual wishes to do so in an anonymous fashion, they should contact the Department of Child Protective Services immediately at (800) 422-4453

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