What Is Child Abuse?

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The clinical definition of (word omitted) abuse has changed drastically over the past several years. As it increasingly expands our society has slowly begun to recognize the wide range of activities committed by (word omitted) offenders. (Word omitted) abuse can be physical, verbal or emotional. A one time episode of (this kind of abuse) may seem unimportant to some, but never the less given the fact that it has occurred at all still constitutes (word omitted) abuse and should be dealt with for the sake of the child. One time abused-- is one too many. Until we realize that the children of this world will continue to suffer at the hands of these abusers. -Children Are Worth Saving

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse can happen in many settings: at home, at school, on sports teams, and so on. Some of the possible symptoms include loss of self-esteem, sleep disturbances, headaches or stomach aches, school avoidance, and running away from home.
Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that attacks a child's emotional development and sense of self-worth. Emotional abuse includes excessive, aggressive or unreasonable demands that place expectations on a child beyond his or her capacity. Constant criticizing, belittling, insulting, rejecting and teasing are some of the forms these verbal attacks can take. Emotional abuse also includes failure to provide the psychological nurturing necessary for a child's psychological growth and development -- providing no love, support or guidance (National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse, 1987).

All of the articles I have read combine emotional abuse and neglect in to one problem. - Sharon

Neglect

Many cases of neglect occur because the parent experiences strong negative feelings toward the child. At other times, the parent may truly care about the child, but lack the ability or strength to adequately provide for the child's needs because handicapped by depression, drug abuse, mental retardation, or some other problem.

Neglected children often do not receive adequate nourishment or emotional and mental stimulation. As a result, their physical, social, emotional, and mental development is hindered. They may, for instance, be underweight, develop language skills less quickly than other children, and seem emotionally needy
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Neglect can be physical in nature (abandonment, failure to seek needed health care), educational (failure to see that a child is attending school), or emotional (abuse of a spouse or another child in the child's presence, allowing a child to witness adult substance abuse). Inappropriate punishment, verbal abuse, and scapegoating are also forms of emotional or psychological child abuse."-Broken Spirits Network

I have always felt that neglect is second only to (word omitted) abuse in causing much emotional damage. Some may be thinking, "more than physical abuse?" From personal experience I will answer, "yes!" I can remember begging my mother to just hit me! The pain from a slap or razor strap to whatever she could hit eventually went away. And emotional abuse-- her words did just as the Bible says words can do…"kill". Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue… My mother's words killed my emotions and my sense of any worth at all. However abuse by neglect is, I believe the most insidious form of abuse because it too often goes unnoticed. One only has to see a presentation about the orphans in Romania when Communism ruled the country. Those children, sorely neglected by grossly understaffed institutions, had emotional and psychological scars that just never could heal. When they became adults, more of them than not, they needed powerful psychological drugs just to abnormally exist.
After doing much reading on this subject I will now list the different forms of neglect:
CHILD NEGLECT is the care givers lack of providing for a child's basic needs of food, shelter, water, clothing, etc. Neglect of a child may be based on repeated conduct or on a single incident or omission that results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, serious physical or mental injury, or a substantial risk of death to a child.

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