Child abuse and neglect by parents and other caregivers.

Child abuse has for a long time been recorded in literature art and science in many parts of the world. Reports of infanticide mutilation abandonment and other forms of violence against children date back to ancient civilizations. The historical record is also filled with reports of unkempt weak and malnourished children cast out by families to fend for themselves and of children who have been sexually abused. For a long time also there have existed charitable groups and others concerned with children’s wellbeing who have advocated the protection of children. Nevertheless the issue did not receive widespread attention by the medical profession or the general public until 1962 with the publication of a seminal work The battered child syndrome by Kempe et al. The term "battered child syndrome" was coined to characterize the clinical manifestations of serious physical abuse in young children. Now four decades later there is clear evidence that child abuse is a global problem. It occurs in a variety of forms and is deeply rooted in cultural economic and social practices. Solving this global problem however requires a much better understanding of its occurrence in a range of settings as well as of its causes and consequences in these settings. (excerpt)