Child abuse is severe mistreatment of children, including physical, psychological, or sexual. The majority of child abuse happens in the child’s home; however, there is a significant amount of abuse that happens in organizations, such as schools, child care facilities, and churches. There are four categories of child abuse: physical, emotional, neglect, and sexual.

Neglect has three categories of its own, physical, educational, and emotional. Physical neglect entails failing to provide adequate food, clothing or hygiene. Educational neglect would be failing to enroll the child in school and seeing to it they are there when they are supposed to be. Emotional neglect would entail inadequate affection or nurturing.

Striking, burning, pinching, pulling hair, cutting off a child’s hair, or shaking are all among the wide array of physical abuse.

Sexual abuse can mean anything from full penetration, fondling, privacy violations, exploitation, or exposing a child to adult sexuality.

Also known as emotional abuse, psychological abuse is the least understood of all the different types of child abuse. This is due in large part because there are no visible signs; however, it also can be the cruelest and most destructive form of child abuse. Emotional abuse can include verbal abuse, withholding affection, ignoring, terrorizing, rejection, isolation, and extreme forms of punishment. It is all done in an attempt to control how the child feels and for what length of time they feel it.

Sadly, 54% of child abuse cases are neglect, 22% are physical, 8% is sexual, 4% is emotional, and 12% are other forms of mistreatment. According to a UNICEF report released on child well-being, the United States was one of the two countries to rank lowest among first world nations regarding the well-being of their children. The United Kingdom is the other nation.

Children who have a history of physical abuse or neglect run the risk of developing psychiatric problems, such as depression and anxiety. Depending on the type of child abuse, the long-term effects can vary. Verbal abuse has been shown to lead to anger and hostility later on in life.