We don't know all the causes of child abuse and neglect. We do know that parenting is a big responsibility that at times, when combined with other life stresses, can become too much.
Children exhibit signs of abuse and neglect in a many different ways. Often they show a number of behavioral and physical indicators. Some of the signs of child abuse include:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is any harm to a child caused by the action (or lack of action) of the child's caregiver. Injuries that may occur include: bruising, welts, cuts, fractures, burns or internal injuries. Physical abuse can occur as an isolated incident or continue over a period of time.
Signs of physical abuse include:
- Presence of various injuries over a period of time
- Facial injuries in infants and preschool children
- Injuries inconsistent with the child's age
- Presence of several injuries that are in various stages of healing
- Child cannot recall how injuries occurred
- Offers an inconsistent explanation
- Wary of adults
- May flinch if touched unexpectedly
- Extremely aggressive
- Extremely withdrawn
- Indiscriminately seeks affection
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse includes all acts that result in the lack of a nurturing environment for a child. It occurs when the caregiver treats the child in such a negative way that the child's concept of "self" is seriously impaired. Emotional abuse can be the most difficult to identify and prove.
Emotionally abusive behaviour by the caregiver can include:
- constant yelling
- demeaning remarks
- rejecting, ignoring or isolating the child
- terrorizing the child
Signs of emotional abuse can include:
- Severe depression
- Extreme withdrawal
- Extreme aggression
- Extreme attention seeking
- Extreme inhibition
- Bed wetting that is non-medical in origin
- Frequent psychosomatic complaints (headaches, nausea, abdominal pains)
- Failure to thrive
Neglect
Neglect usually results from the lack of knowledge about appropriate care for children or an inability to plan appropriately for the child's needs.
Neglect includes a caregiver failing to provide:
- adequate food and shelter
- safety
- medical or psychological treatment
- supervision
- adequate sleep
- clothing
- Signs of neglect include:
- Poor hygiene
- Unattended physical problems or medical needs
- Consistent lack of supervision
- Frequent absence from school
- Engaged in delinquent acts or alcohol/drug abuse
- Frequently arriving at school without a lunch
- Inappropriate clothing for the weather
- Consistently dirty clothes
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is any sexual exploitation of a child by an older person. The Criminal Code of Canada identifies a number of types of sexual abuse, including:
- Invitation to sexual touching
- Sexual exploitation
- Procuring sexual activity from a child
- Caregiver permitting sexual activity
- Exposing genitals to a child
- Incest
- Exposing to or engaging in pornography
- Signs of sexual abuse include:
- Age-inappropriate play with toys, self or others
- Unusual or excessive itching in the genital or anal area
- Injuries to the genital or anal areas, e.g. bruising, swelling or infection
- Displaying explicit sexual acts
- Torn, stained or bloody underwear
- Age-inappropriate sexually explicit drawing or descriptions
- Bizarre, sophisticated or unusual sexual knowledge
- Prostitution
- Seductive behaviour
