Let's Prevent Child Abuse TOGETHER

April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month

People and organizations who are dedicated to protecting children have used this special time of year to acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse in all its forms.

Definitions and Descriptions of Child Abuse

Child abuse includes physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse inflicted by a parent or other caretaker.

Physical abuse is non-accidental physical injury of a child inflicted by a parent or caretaker which ranges from superficial bruises and welts to broken bones, burns, serious internal injuries and in some cases, death. The definition of physical abuse includes actions that create a substantial risk of physical injury to the child.

Physical neglect is withholding, or failing to provide, adequate food, shelter, clothing, hygiene, medical care, education, and/or supervision, such that the child’s physical, mental or emotional condition is impaired or at imminent risk of being impaired.

Sexual abuse is when a parent or caretaker commits a sexual offense against a child or allows a sexual offense to be committed, such as rape, sodomy, engaging a child in sexual activity, engaging a child in - or promoting a child’s - sexual performance.

Emotional abuse includes parents’ or caretakers’ acts or omissions that cause or could cause serious conduct, cognitive, affective, or other mental disorders. For example, torture, close confinement or the constant use of verbally abusive language to harshly criticize and denigrate a child. It also includes emotional neglect - withholding physical and emotional contact to the detriment of the child's normal emotional development, and in extreme cases, physical development.

Strategies to Prevent Child Abuse

Child abuse prevention efforts build on family strengths with the goal of giving families the support they need to love, nurture and protect their children.

Primary child abuse prevention:

  • Focuses on preventing child abuse and neglect from ever happening.

  • Has been proven to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.

  • Requires the efforts of everyone - policy makers and community members alike.

  • Can only be accomplished if measures are taken by the entire community.

Keeping children safe from abuse and neglect is the responsibility of the entire community.

Child abuse is an exceptionally complex problem with numerous causes and numerous, wide-ranging consequences that affect each and every one of us.

Communities will be most effective in preventing child abuse if they adopt a comprehensive prevention strategy that offers families a variety of programs, targeted to different populations with differing needs.

The goals of a community-wide comprehensive prevention strategy should be to:

  • Increase parents' knowledge and understanding of how children develop and what they can expect at each stage of development.

  • Enhance bonding and communication between parents and their children.

  • Increase parents' skills in coping with the stresses of caring for children with special needs.

  • Increase parents knowledge about managing homes and families.

  • Reduce the burden of child care.

  • Increase access the social and health-care services for all community members.

To achieve these goals, community-wide comprehensive prevention strategies should include:

  • Programs that support new and expecting parents by helping them prepare for the challenges of child care.

  • Programs that educate parents about child care and child development.

  • Child care opportunities for working parents and for parents who need respite from the stresses of their responsibilities.

  • Programs that teach children how to protect themselves from abuse.

  • Life skills training that helps children and young adults learn the interpersonal communication skills they need to thrive as kids and later as adults and parents.

  • Self-help groups, peer-support systems, and other neighborhood support programs to reduce the isolation experienced by many parents.

  • 24-hour crisis care programs that provide immediate assistance to parents in a time of crisis by offering a telephone helpline, crisis caretakers, crisis nurseries, and crisis counseling.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month—an opportunity for you to be a positive force on behalf of the children and families in your community. Preventing child abuse is an action in which each of us can participate. No one person can do everything, but everyone can do something. Together, we can do anything!

There have been 10030 visitors to our website!

Comprehend, Inc. - Regional Prevention Center
731 Kenton Station Road
Maysville, KY  41056
606.759.7799




Thank you for visiting our website!!