Child Maltreatment
About Child Maltreatment
Types of Child Maltreatment
How common is it?
What causes it?
How long does it last?
What treatments are effective?

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About Child Maltreatment

Child maltreatment is any kind of treatment that harms the psychological, physical, social, and spiritual development of a child. 

Children who are maltreated are unable to grow fully as human persons.  Their confidence and self-esteem suffers, which can lead to depression and anxiety.  Some children are left with permanent physical injury.  Some are killed. 

In 2003, 59 children in Canada were deliberately killed.  More than half of these children were murdered by a family member.  This statistic is likely an underestimate of the true number of children who die annually from maltreatment.[1]

 

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1.	Canada. National Clearinghouse on Family Violence. Child Maltreatment in Canada: Overview Paper. Prepared by Susan Jack, et al. Ottawa: Public Health Agency of Canada, 2006.