Neglect

is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development.

Physical abuse

may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child or adult.

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.

Emotional abuse could include:

• humiliating or criticising a child or adult
• disciplining a child or adult with degrading punishments
• not recognising someone’s own individuality and limitations, like pushing them too hard, or being too controlling
• exposing a child or adult to distressing events or interactions, like domestic abuse or substance misuse
• failing to promote a child or adult’s social development, such as not allowing them to have friends
• persistently ignoring a child, being absent, never expressing positive feelings towards a child, or never showing any emotions in interactions with a child (emotional neglect).

Child sexual abuse includes:

• assault by penetration, including rape or penetration of the mouth with an object or part of the body
• sexual touching of any part of the body, clothed or unclothed, including using an object
• encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity, including sexual acts with someone else, or making a child strip or masturbate
• exposing a child to distressing events or interactions, like domestic abuse or substance misuse
• intentionally engaging in sexual activity in front of a child or not taking proper measures to prevent a child being exposed to sexual activity by others
• meeting a child following sexual ‘grooming’, or preparation, with the intention of abusing them
• taking, making, permitting to take, distributing, showing or advertising indecent images of children
• paying for the sexual services of a child or encouraging them into prostitution or pornography
• showing a child images of sexual activity including photographs, videos or via webcam

Possible signs that abuse has occurred

• depression and other mental health issues
• anger, sadness or other strong emotions
• low self-esteem
• substance use
• resurfacing childhood memories that cause distress and confusion
• poor physical health.

Childhood abuse statistics from NSPCC and Action against abuse

• Between 1 and 4 children die every 10 days as a result of child cruelty.
• 36% of all rapes recorded by the police are committed against children under 16
• 25% of children experienced one or more forms of physical violence during childhood
• 72% of sexually abused children did not tell anyone about the abuse at the time. 27% told later. 31% still had not told anyone by early adulthood.
• 1 in 4 young adults are severely maltreated during childhood
• 24.1% of young adults experienced sexual abuse by an adult or peer during childhood.
• 1 in 6 children between 11 – 17 experienced sexual abuse.
• £1 billion per annum was the estimated costs of abuse. This figure was far exceeded and was spent as a consequence not in prevention