Child Maltreatment

Child maltreatment has been described throughout history and across cultures. The term “maltreatment” has come to include a range of behaviors that frequently co-occur. These include physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, fatal abuse, exploitative child labor, and child prostitution. Definitions of child maltreatment may vary across time and across cultural contexts. An ecological perspective on child maltreatment recognizes the contribution of factors at the individual, family, community, and cultural levels in the etiology and therefore the prevention and remediation of the consequences of child maltreatment. Consequences of child maltreatment vary depending on risk and protective factors. Research has shown that maltreated children are at increased risk for a range of negative outcomes, including delinquency, crime, and ill health. However, protective factors can mitigate the impact of maltreatment.