Emotional Abuse: Aggressive, excessive or unreasonable demands upon children beyond their capabilities. The use of insulting, belittling language to harshly scold and revile the child. Words aimed at tearing down or destroying a child's self image. The withholding of physical and emotional contact to the detriment of the child's normal emotional, and in extreme cases, physical development.

Neglect: The withholding of or failure to provide a child with the basic necessities of life: clothing, shelter, medical care, proper hygiene, adequate supervision and general care from caretaker to child.

Physical Abuse: Any non-accidental injury inflected on a child which may include severe beatings, burns, human bites, broken bones, internal injuries, superficial bruises and welts and in some cases, death.

Sexual Abuse: The sexual exploitation of a child for the sexual gratification of an adult (sometimes juvenile offenders) as in rape, incest, or exhibitionism; ranges from non-touching, to fondling, intercourse.