NCJ Number
210345
Date Published
2004
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video informs viewers about the nature, prevalence, symptoms, and adverse effects of various types of child abuse (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse), followed by guidance for reporting suspicions of child abuse.
Abstract
A narrator presents statistics on the frequency of child deaths and injuries due to physical abuse and then proceeds to inform the viewer about the nature and signs of the various types of abuse. Neglect is noted to compose more than half of known cases of child abuse. This involves failure to provide for the basic physical needs of a child, including adequate food, appropriate clothing, and healthy and safe living conditions. Signs that suggest a child may be neglected are listed. Physical abuse is defined as any nonaccidental injury inflicted on a child. Guidance is provided on how to distinguish accidental injuries from inflicted injuries, and images are displayed to show the types of injuries typically inflicted in physical abuse. A child's behaviors that may stem from physical abuse are also noted. Sexual abuse is defined, and its perpetrators are indicated to be most often acquaintances or family members of the abused child. Although physical signs of sexual abuse are mentioned, a medical expert advises that there are often no physical signs of sexual abuse. In such cases symptomatic behavioral signs are important, such as sexualized play, social withdrawal, and fear of the perpetrator or situations in which abuse has occurred. Emotional abuse is cited as the most difficult to detect, since there are no physical signs. Behavioral symptoms of emotional abuse include aggressiveness, shyness, submissiveness, excessive desire to please others, low self-esteem, and social maladjustment. The video concludes with instructions on how to report suspicions of child abuse.