Physical Abuse

What is physical abuse of a child?
Physical abuse is an injury deliberately inflicted upon a child by any person, including adults. Physical abuse includes fractured or broken bones, burns, severe and/or frequent bruises, and any other major physical harm.

How do you recognize physical abuse?
Physical abuse is usually identified by physical marks on the child’s body, but children can also suffer emotional damage from abuse. The list below describes physical signs you may notice as well as emotional signs.

Physical Signs
Bruises, welts on face, neck, chest, back.
Injuries in the shape of object (belt, cord).
Unexplained burns on palms, soles of feet, back.
Fractures that do not fit the story of how an injury occurred.
Delay in seeking medical help.

Emotional signs
Extremes in behavior: very aggressive or withdrawn and shy.
Afraid to go home.
Frightened of parents.
Fearful of other adults.

What do you do when you suspect a child of being physically abused?
Any kind of child abuse is against the law and has serious effects on victims. If you are suspect that a child is being abused, call your county child protective services agency. In Milwaukee County, that number is (414) 220-SAFE. To find the child abuse hotlines in other Wisconsin counties, click here or call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD.

Stopping abuse helps a child heal faster, and reduces the long-term effects of the abuse on the child. Remember—when a child tells you about abuse, he or she is being very brave, and is looking to you for help.

When a child tells you that he or she is being abused, you should:

Avoid denial and remain calm. A common reaction to news as disturbing as child abuse is denial. However, if you display denial to a child, or show shock or disgust at what they are saying, the child may be afraid to continue and will shut down. As hard as it may be, remain as calm and reassuring as you can.

Don’t interrogate. Let the child explain to you in his/her own words what happened, but don’t interrogate the child or ask leading questions. This may confuse and fluster the child and make it harder for them to continue their story.

Reassure the child that he/she did nothing wrong. It takes a lot of courage for a child to come forward about abuse. Reassure him or her that you take what is said seriously, and that it is not the child’s fault.

Call your local child protective services agency. It is better that you do not handle the situation on your own.

Helping a child heal

You can help a child recover from the trauma of physical abuse. You may want to try some of these strategies:

• Help build a child’s optimism by reinforcing the good experiences the child has had and make plans for fun activities.
• Build the child’s self-esteem by telling him or her when he or she has done a good job, how special he or she is, and how much you love him or her.
• Encourage the child to explore the ways things that he or she is good at, whether it is schoolwork, artistic talent, athletic ability, or being a good friend.
• Laugh with the child to help him or her develop a sense of humor.
• Give the child chores and responsibilities (appropriate for his/her age) to develop independence and demonstrate your trust in him/her.
• Let the child know he/she can talk to you.
• Write down and explain rules.
• Be consistent with your punishments and never threaten violence.
  

Examples

Encountering child abuse as a relative or caregiver

Recognizing abuse: Annette went over to her grandmother’s house on weekends. One weekend, as Annette was helping garden with her grandmother, her grandmother noticed burns on Annette’s arms. She also noticed that Annette didn’t want to go home in the evening, and Annette begged her grandmother to let Annette stay with her. Taking action: That weekend, Annette told her grandmother that her stepfather, David, was burning her with a cigarette. Annette’s grandmother was shocked, but she did not show this reaction to Annette and listened to everything Annette had to say. Annette told her that she felt guilty because David said that what he did to her was her fault. Annette’s grandmother reassured her that what did was not Annette’s fault. That night, Annette’s grandmother called child protective services. Helping a child heal: Child protective services investigated what Annette reported and substantiated the abuse. They worked on a safety plan with the family. Child protective services offered two options for keeping Annette safe: 1) David would have to move out; or 2) Annette would stay with Grandma. Annette stayed with her Grandmother for a few weeks while her mother dealt with her initial denial. Child protective services also provided counseling to assist Annette with healing emotionally form the abuse she had experienced. Annette’s grandmother also assisted Annette with healing emotionally from what she had experienced by providing continued support and encouragement. She and Annette continued to garden together. She noticed that Annette really liked arts and crafts, so she bought craft books and supplies for Annette to use when she was at her grandmother’s house. Annette’s grandmother encouraged her and praised her art projects and Annette began to feel a little proud of herself for her art projects.

Common Concerns About Reporting

Encountering physical child abuse as a teacher

Recognizing abuse: Devon's 3rd grade teacher noticed that something was wrong with Devon. She began to see bruises on his legs that did looked like they were in the shape of a cord. She noticed that he was often angry and that he would start crying over small incidents. Devon did not have many friends at school. Taking action: One day, Devon told his teacher that when he was bad, his father whipped him with a telephone cord. Devon’s teacher listened calmly and quietly while Devon told her what his father did. When Devon finished telling his story, his teacher gently told him that nothing that happened was his fault, and that she believed him. When Devon and his classmates went to lunch, Devon’s teacher called 220-SAFE to make a report. Helping a child heal: At school, Devon’s teacher made sure that she gave positive experiences in the classroom. When she assigned class chores, she put Devon in charge of feeding the class’ pet frog. She encouraged him and praised him when he did well on an assignment, and made sure to let him know that he could come and talk to her whenever he wanted.

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