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Child abuse is one of the most disturbing crimes. Many may wonder how anyone could hurt an innocent child. But the sad truth is that hundreds of children are abused every day. It may even be your neighbor or a child you are close to. It can sometimes be difficult to recognize abuse, but once you are aware of the types of abuse you can begin to help. Below are some of the ways you can recognize child abuse.
1. Understand that physical abuse is not the only type of abuse. It might be easy to recognize broken bones or bruises, but emotionally abuse and neglect are also forms of child abuse. In fact, the emotional abuse can leave scars for life.
2. Good people can be child abusers. You may think that it is only the “bad” parents that are abusing their children. Good families and people that appear to be upstanding citizens can also be guilty. Child abuse no knows racial boundaries and does not just happen in the bad neighborhoods.
3. Emotional abuse can leave scars just as deep as physical abuse. When a child feels worthless or belittled, those thoughts and feelings can carry over into adulthood. The healing from emotional abuse is a much longer process than healing from physical abuse.
4. If you suspect child abuse, report it. Do not let worry or fear keep you from reporting child abuse. You owe it to the child to report to authorities what you suspect.
Children cannot protect themselves from abuse. Often, the abuse comes from a parent or someone they love and trust, so it can be hard to distinguish what is happening. It is your responsibility as an adult to protect the children and help where you can. Once you know the types of abuse, you are one step closer to being able to save a child’s life.
