Child abuse is when someone under the age of 18 is seriously harmed by another person. The person causing harm can be an adult or a child.

Abuse can be:

• online
• physical
• sexual
• emotional
• neglect

A child can experience more than one type of abuse.

Abuse often happens repeatedly, or it can be a one-time event.

Physical abuse

Physical abuse is when a child is hurt and it’s not an accident.

If a child often has injuries, or there seems to be a pattern, it could be abuse.

Physical abuse can include:

• hitting or slapping
• shaking
• throwing children or throwing things at them
• kicking
• burning or scalding
• drowning
• suffocating or choking
• biting
• broken bones
• poisoning
• causing illness

Sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse is when someone under the age of 18 is forced into sexual acts. It’s not always physical, and it can happen online.

Sometimes the child will not understand that it’s abuse. They may not even understand that it’s wrong.

There are two types of child sexual abuse. These are contact abuse and non-contact abuse.

Contact abuse means the abuser makes physical contact with a child. Contact abuse can include:

• forcing or encouraging a child to take part in sexual acts
• sexual touching of any part of the body, with clothes on or off
• rape or penetration when an object or body part is put inside a child's mouth, vagina, or anus
• making them take their clothes off
• making them touch someone else's genitals
• making them masturbate

Non-contact abuse involves non-touching activities. Non-contact abuse can include:

• encouraging a child to watch or hear sexual acts
• sending indecent messages to a child
• failing to prevent a child from being exposed to sexual activities
• making, viewing, or sharing child abuse images
• allowing someone else to make, view, or spread child abuse image
• showing indecent or intimate images or videos to a child

Emotional abuse

Emotional abuse or psychological abuse is ongoing emotional harm or neglect.

Because emotional abuse can be found in other types of child abuse and neglect, it can be hard to spot.

Emotional abuse can include: 

• pushing a child too hard
• putting them in frightening situations
• making the child the subject of jokes, or using sarcasm to hurt them
• blaming or treating them as a scapegoat
• not letting them to have friends or encouraging social development
• isolating them
• ignoring them a lot
• manipulating them
• never showing any emotions when interacting with them
  threatening them, shouting at, or calling them names
• making a child perform degrading acts
• humiliating or always criticising them
• exposing a child to distressing events or interactions, including domestic abuse or drug taking

Neglect

Neglect is the ongoing failure to meet a child's basic needs.

If child often shows signs of neglect, or there seems to be a pattern, this could be neglect.

Neglect can cause poor appearance and hygiene. The child might:

• be smelly or dirty
• wear unwashed clothes
• wear clothes are not warm and dry

Neglect can also cause health and development problems. The child might have:

• untreated injuries, medical and dental issues
• a lot of illnesses or infections
• many accidental injuries caused by lack of supervision
• skin sores, rashes, flea bites, scabies, or ringworm
• thin or swollen tummy
• anaemia
• poor muscle tone or prominent joints 
• tiredness
• poor language, communication, or social skills
• have frequent and untreated nappy rash
• no food and be hungry
• not received the love and emotional support they need
• been put in danger or harm

Neglect can also be caused by housing and family issues. The child might be:

• living in an unsafe or dirty home environment
• left alone for a long time
• caring for younger siblings or other family members

Report to us

If you want to tell us about child abuse, you can report it online, by phone, or in person.

Call 999 now if:

• someone's in danger
• the incident is happening now

Report it using our online form

Learn about other ways you can report a crime to us

Report to other organisations

You can also report child abuse to other organisations:

• Crimestoppers: call 0800 555 111
• Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)

Some signs of child abuse can include:

• staying out late or going missing overnight
• being kept away from friends and school
• being overly controlled by adults
• worrying internet or phone use
• being visited by many strangers
• getting into or out of cars driven by strangers
• receiving a lot of money, clothes, or other expensive items for no reason
• drugs, alcohol, or substance misuse
• asking for sexual health advice when they’re under 13 years old
• friends being sexually exploited
• having an unplanned pregnancy
• having sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• being in places known for prostitution

Some children can be at more risk of child abuse. Children at risk may experience:

• a history of abuse, neglect, or disadvantage
• disrupted family life or domestic abuse
• homelessness
• drug, alcohol, or substance misuse
• times where they go missing
• not being allowed to go to school, clubs, or friends

If a child tells you about abuse they're experiencing, you can:

• be non-judgmental, calm, and patient
• make sure what you say is not victim blaming
• show them that you care and that you’re listening
• take it at their pace, let them take their time and offer breaks
• let them decide what they share and when they share it
• check that what you’ve heard is correct and show that you’ve understood
• only ask questions to clarify what you’ve heard
• write down what they said as soon as you can
• tell them they’ve done the right thing by sharing their experience
• ask them what they need or want to do next
• explain what information you’ll share and what will happen next
• contact your local Social Work Department