Child abuse can happen in a variety of ways and it doesn’t just mean physical abuse like hitting a child or sexual abuse like rape. It can be a very complicated thing and can happen in lot of different ways.

Under the law, child abuse is considered to be any kind of rough or cruel acts which are done to children under the age of 16.

Child abuse comes under four main headings:

• Neglect
• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Emotional Abuse

Neglect

Neglect is the continual failure to meet a child’s basic physical and psychological needs, which is likely to result in the serious damage of the child’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger or the failure to ensure access to the appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of a child’s basic emotional needs.

Examples of neglect

• When a child has been abandoned or not looked after.
• When a child is being denied proper care and attention physically, educationally or emotionally.
• When a child is being permitted to live under conditions or circumstances which cause them injury or is bad for their well-being.
• When a child is being abused.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates or makes up symptoms of or deliberately causes ill health in a child whom they are looking after. This is commonly describes as Munchausen Syndrome by proxy or fabricated illness in children.

Examples of injuries which may result from physical abuse include

• Head injuries
• Bruises, cuts, or lacerations
• Internal injuries
• Burns, scalds
• Reddening or blistering of the tissue through the use of heat by fire, chemical substances, cigarettes, matches, electricity, scalding water, friction, etc.
• Injuries to bone, muscle, cartilage, ligaments fractures, dislocations, sprains, strains, displacements, hematomas, etc.
• Death

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse involves forcing or luring a child or young person to take part on sexual activities whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non- penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities such as involving children in looking at pornographic material or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

Sexual abuse includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Rape
• Intercourse
• Sodomy
• Fondling
• Oral sex
• Allowing or making a child watch pornography
• Incest
• Sexual penetration: digital, penile, or foreign objects.
• Sexual exploitation of a child includes permitting, allowing, coercing or forcing a child to be involved in pornography, prostitution or sexual behavior of any kind.

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse is the continual emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and continual distressing affects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve making the child feel that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may involve causing children to frequently feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

Emotional abuse or maltreatment may include

• Repeated doing or saying things that cause a child distress e.g. saying things which puts them down and makes them feel bad about themselves.
• Exposure to repeated violent, brutal, or intimidating behaviour or statements among members of the household which scare or harm a child.
• Cruel or unusual actions used to enforce maximum control, humiliate a child or change a child's behavior.
• Rejection of the child i.e. ‘giving them the cold shoulder’, making them think that someone doesn’t care for them and doesn’t want them.

The concept of significant harm

The Children Act 1989 introduced the concept of “significant harm” as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention in family life in the best interests of the child.

There are no absolute criteria on which to rely when judging significant harm. Consideration will be given on the severity, extent, duration, frequency, extent of premeditation (arranged or planned in advance) and the degree of threat or coercion involved.

Sometimes, a single traumatic event may constitute significant harm e.g. a violent assault. More often, it is a compilation of significant events, which interrupt, change or damage a child’s development.

Child abuse and links with domestic abuse

Apart from anything, a child witnessing domestic violence or abuse is child abuse in itself, and clearly comes under emotional abuse. Indeed, evidence shows that knowing about or witnessing domestic violence can have a serious and profound impact on a child causing them a lot of discomfort, trauma and emotional harm.

However, in some cases of domestic violence there is also much worse things going on. A child could well be being abused themselves at home, either emotionally, physically, sexually or being neglected, by the perpetrator, or even in some cases the victim/survivor of domestic violence. In many cases of domestic violence, especially where there is sexual abuse going on, there is also a serious risk that the children in that house are also being sexually abused.

It is important to note however, that while there is a link between households with domestic violence and child abuse, child abuse happens in families and households where there is no domestic violence as well.

Links with animal abuse

Research also shows that there are serious links between the abuse of animals and child abuse. If someone is deliberately or indirectly cruel to animals there is a higher risk that they are also deliberately or indirectly cruel to children and others.

For more information about this visit the NSPCC website who have published an information briefing about the links between the abuse of animals and child abuse.

Downloads

Questions & Answers about concerns for a child: This download gives you more information about everyone’s responsibility to help protect children. It includes what people need to know about raising a concern, what information services will need when a concern is raised and more information about the legal framework governing local authorities responsibilities for child protection.

Recognition of what to look for: This download gives you more information about the visible signs and behaviours associated with different forms of child abuse, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.

Links

www.nspcc.org.uk/

The NSPCC offers families a range of information, resources and advice regarding child protection and child welfare issues.

www.childrenslegalcentre.com/

The Children’s Legal Centre has lots of useful information about child protection and child protection procedures. They give information about children’s rights and the rights of parents in any child protection investigation.

www.barnardos.org.uk

Barnardos also offer families and parents advice and information regarding child protection. See their website for more information.

www.brighton-hove.gov.uk

The Brighton & Hove City Council website also offers information regarding child protection and how families can contact child protection services for more advise and information.

www.stopitnow.org.uk/

The stop it now campaign aims to raise awareness throughout society of child abuse and child welfare issues. They offer a range of advice and information regarding child abuse and what parents and carers can do to help and protect children.