What is Child abuse? That is a question most of us ask ourselves everyday. There are 3 kinds of abuse: Physical, Sexual, and Emotional. Physical abuse is nonaccidental injuries that may include severe beatings, burns, fractures, bruises, welts or other physical problems. Sexual abuse is the exploitation of a child for the sexual gratification of an adult or older child. Sexual abuse includes fondling, sodomy, child prosecution and incest. Emotional abuse exists when a parent creates a negative emotional atmosphere for the child. Examples are when the parent makes continued unfavorable comparisons to a sibling and when the parent makes the child feel bad in any way.
             Child abuse is a very important issue and it is a problem nationwide. Reports of child abuse nearly doubled since 1986 and many incidences still go unreported. National statistics indicate that one of four girls and one of six boys experience some form of abuse during their lifetime.
             The complex problem of child abuse has many consequences. Studies have show that children who are at risk of abuse today often become school dropouts, crime perpetrators, and abusive parents of tomorrow. Everyone is affected by the lives of children who come from homes of abuse. National statistics show that 90% of convicted felons have experienced some form of abuse during their childhood.
             There are yet more statistics on child abuse. In Georgia in 1995, there were 77,640 child abuse reports representing 95,925 incidents of child abuse or neglect. Every 30 minutes a child is the victim of confirmed abuse in Georgia. It costs $3.00 per year per child to teach violence prevention in schools. Last year 76% of the confirmed child abuse perpetrators were biological parents. In Georgia, approximately 85% of child abuse cases occur in the child's home. A case of child abuse was reported every 10 seconds in the USA in 1995. Of the substantiated cases, 54% suffered neglec...