Child Abuse & Incest

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What Is Child Abuse?

Child abuse, or child maltreatment, is an act by a parent or caretaker that results in or allows the child to be subjected to death, physiFcal injury, sexual assault, or emotional harm. Emotional abuse, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse are all different forms of child abuse.

Sign up to receive our FREE "10 Signs of Child Abuse" Tip Card here.  

Child Abuse and Incest: What Types Exist?

Child physical abuse: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define child physical abuse as "the use of physical force, such as hitting, kicking, shaking, burning, or other show of force against a child," deliberately commited to harm a child.

Child sexual abuse: Child sexual abuse is any sexual act performed with a child by an adult or older child, with or without force or the threat of force. Child sexual abuse is most commonly committed by someone known to the child, including family members. In this case, the act may be considered incest.

Other individuals who may commit child sexual abuse include neighbors, family friends, baby sitters, religious leaders, youth group leaders, or others with a power advantage of any kind over the child. Child sexual abuse may also be committed by a stranger. The acts can include touching or non-touching, verbal seduction or abuse, anal or vaginal intercourse, oral sex, sodomy, manual stimulation, direct threats, implied threats, or other forms of abuse.

Incest: Incest is overt and/or covert sexual contact or acts between people who are related genetically, by marriage, by living arrangements, or in whom a child perceives a trusting relationship - for example parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, step-parents, or foster parents. It may start as seemingly innocent touching and progress to more serious acts. It can continue for years.

Child emotional abuse: Emotional abuse is behavior intent on harming "a children's self-worth of emotion well-being," according to the CDC. Examples include withholding affection, threatening a child, or rejection.

Child neglect: Child neglect is defined as the failure to meet a child's basic needs, such housing, food, clothing, education, and medical care. Child neglect may not involve physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.

To find out how to get help, go to our Get Help for Child Abuse page.

Child Abuse and Incest: Recognize the Signs

• Does the child have unexplained injuries or does the explanation seem unconvincing?
• Has the child's behavior changed (becoming more fearful, depressed, anxious, or aggressive)?
• Is the child returning to behaviors they had when they were younger (thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, or fear of the dark)?
• Is the child afraid to go home or to go someplace with a particular person?
• Has the child's eating patterns changed?
• Is the child experiencing changes in sleeping patterns?
• Has the child's attendance at school or performance in classes changed?
• Does the child appear to be uncared for - dirty or have body odor, or lack appropriate clothing for the weather?
• Is the child or young person engaging in high-risk behaviors (using drugs or alcohol, carrying a weapon)?
• Is the child displaying inappropriate sexual behavior or using explicit sexual language?

Some signs that a child is experiencing violence or abuse are more obvious than others. Trust your instincts. Report suspected child abuse to your state or local authorities, including child protective agencies or your local police department.

Sign up to receive our FREE "10 Signs of Child Abuse" Tip Card here.  

Child Abuse and Incest:  Facts

• Four children in the United States die each day as a result of child abuse and neglect.
• Nearly 80% of children who die because of abuse are younger than five years old.
• In 2008, child protective services in the United States received 3.3 million reports of child abuse and neglect.
• Most children who suffer abuse or neglect suffer at the hands of a parent (birth, foster, or adoptive parent).

Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services

Consequences from child abuse

• A study showed that as many as 80 percent of young people who had been abused as children met criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder at age 21.
• Children as young as three have shown depression and withdrawal symptoms due to emotional or physical abuse.
• Children who have suffered or witnessed abuse or neglect tended to score lower in cognitive capacity, language development, and academic achievement compared to their peers.
• Children who suffer abuse or neglect are also more likely to show anti-social behavior as they get older.
• Children who suffer child abuse are 25% more likely to experience delinquency, teen pregnancy, low academic achievement, drug use, and other problems as young adults.
• Adults who suffered child abuse are more likely to abuse alcohol and use illicit drugs.
• Adults who suffered child abuse are also more likely to abuse or neglect their own children - thus repeating the cycles of abuse and neglect.

From "Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect," Administration for Children and Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services  

Child Advocacy Centers

Safe Horizon operates Child Advocacy Centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island that provide assistance to physically and sexually abused children and their families in more than 4,000 cases each year. Child protective caseworkers, police detectives, pediatricians, prosecutors, victim advocates, and mental health professionals all work together in our child friendly center to collect evidence, minimize the number of times the child is interviewed, and ensure that the child receives appropriate medical examinations and therapeutic support.

To contact Safe Horizon's Child Advocacy Centers, go to Child Advocacy Center Locations.

Take a tour of a Child Advocacy Center.

Give a gift of healing to our Child Advocacy Centers.

New York State Child Advocacy Resource and Consultation Center (CARCC)

CARCC promotes the multidisciplinary response to child abuse throughout the State by working with law enforcement and child protective professionals to assess and enhance their response to child abuse cases. They offer technical assistance, training, information on funding resources, child fatality review teams, staff development, child abuse statistics and more. CARCC has its own Web site at www.nyscarcc.org.

Child Abuse and Incest: Resources

Safe Horizon's 2008 survey about child abuse and bystanders reveals that many individuals lack knowledge about the warning signs of child abuse and are uncertain about how to report it. 

The Child Welfare Information Gateway on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website provides statistics about child abuse in general, as well as highlights specific areas such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, recurrences, and fatalities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Child Maltreatment section highlights studies on child abuse and neglect in the United States and globally, as well as prevention strategies. 

For further information visit our Additional Resources page.

* Images used are representations of Safe Horizon's clients.