Child neglect is failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, clean living conditions, affection, supervision, education, or dental or medical care. Medical child abuse occurs when someone gives false information about illness in a child that requires medical attention, putting the child at risk of injury and unnecessary medical care. It includes verbal and emotional assault - such as continually belittling or berating a child - as well as isolating, ignoring or rejecting a child. Emotional child abuse means injuring a child's self-esteem or emotional well-being. This can also involve noncontact sexual abuse of a child, such as exposing a child to sexual activity or pornography observing or filming a child in a sexual manner sexual harassment of a child or prostitution of a child, including sex trafficking. This can involve sexual contact, such as intentional sexual touching, oral-genital contact or intercourse.
Child sexual abuse is any sexual activity with a child. Physical child abuse occurs when a child is purposely physically injured or put at risk of harm by another person.
Child abuse takes many forms, which often occur at the same time. Any intentional harm or mistreatment to a child under 18 years old is considered child abuse.
