Alternative Terms: Battered Child, Child Maltreatment, Family Violence

Physical child abuse refers to harm to the child inflicted by the caregiver. Every year, nearly 1,400 cases of fatal child abuse are reported. Recent information from investigators of child fatality records suggests that the actual number of children killed by their caregivers may be much, much larger. Child Death Review Teams are now being formed in many states to investigate child fatalities that may come from physical abuse. Legal definitions of child abuse vary from state to state, but injuries requiring medical attention are typically regarded as abusive. Nonetheless, the difficulties associated with making these kinds of distinctions are well known, and are often characterized by saying that "one person's 'abuse' is another person's 'discipline'." Many states explicitly note that spanking "when administered in a reasonable manner" does not constitute abuse. Thus, how severely parents can...