User:Abenaowusua3/Abuse

Lead
This article is about the mistreatment of people, systems or animals. Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to cruelty or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression. To these descriptions, one can also add the Kantian notion of the wrongness of using another human being as means to an end rather than as ends in themselves. Some sources describe abuse as "socially constructed", which means there may be more or less recognition of the suffering of a victim at different times and societies. Physical abuse is characterized by the non-accidental infliction of physical injury as a result of punching, pushing, striking, kicking, biting, burning, shaking, or otherwise harming a child. Child physical abuse (CPA) is a pervasive societal problem with serious outcomes. Understanding CPA risk factors is necessary to identify those at risk for CPA perpetration and to inform efforts to prevent the occurrence of CPA.

Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Most child abuse occurs in a child's home, with a smaller amount occurring in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with. Child abuse can be in various forms, child neglect, physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse and sexual abuse.

Child maltreatment is a devastating type of adverse childhood experience that encompasses neglect and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse (including sex trafficking). Adverse childhood experiences are exposures to maltreatment or household dysfunction during crucial developmental periods that disrupt neurodevelopment and can result in lifelong physical and psychological harm, altering the child's behavior and disease risk into adulthood.

Child abuse refers to actions that affect the physical and psychological wellbeing of children and harm child development. Such abuse may be inflicted by parents, other child caregivers, and those who have developed power and built trust in their relationships with the child. Child neglect refers to the failure of parents or other caregiving individuals to provide shelter, nutrition, health, clothing, education, care, protection, and safety for the child.