Child Abuse And Neglect Leads To Serious Dangers

physical abuse

"I remember the feeling I experienced when I saw him put his fist to her face and watched the blood pour out of her nose and lips - my beautiful sister," recalls one victim of child abuse and neglect. "How would she live with such fear and unhappiness? How would she face school, friends, life? I knew the meaninglessness of life - I wanted to die in the act of torturing and killing him. I split in two and lost myself entirely. The next thing I remember was staring up at an enormous booted leg which led from my neck to his head and the ceiling beyond. I heard him say, 'You will NOT call that number. They will carry you out in a body bag."

There are several types of abuse and neglect perpetrated against children. Physical neglect involves the refusal of health care to treat a physical injury, medical condition or impairment, or a delay in health care. It also involves abandonment, which is the desertion of a child without supervision. Kicking a child out of the house, allowing the child to leave overnight without knowing his or her whereabouts and showing reckless disregard for the child's safety, such as driving while drunk, are all causes of physical neglect. Providing inadequate clothing, food and shelter are common causes as well. With physical abuse, the child is intentionally slapped, kicked, punched, burned or injured in an attempt to control them.


Emotional child abuse and neglect can be one of the most damaging forms because it lurks subtly in the back of the child's mind always and undermines his or her very confidence and lust for life. The Department of Health and Human Services defines emotional abuse as "inadequate nurturing, affection or attention, chronic or extreme spouse abuse, permitted drug or alcohol abuse, permitted delinquency or assault and refusal or delay in psychological care." Children will carry these scars into adulthood and have problems with their self esteem, relationships, perceptions, motivations and learning abilities. Often, emotional violence leads to physical abuse as well and many abused children are doomed to repeat the cycle of violence passed down by their parents if abuse treatment is not sought.


Many people incorrectly believe that, by law, victims of child abuse and neglect must be removed from their homes immediately. In reality, the most likely outcome is that counselors will intervene and try to rehabilitate the family, at the very least keeping the non-abusive parent and child together. Another misconception is that child abuse cannot be reported anonymously, although most states don't require you to provide your name and the person reported for abuse will never find out your name regardless. If you fear someone you know has been a victim of domestic crimes, then call 1-800-4-A-CHILD right away and save a life.