Table 1 Common forms of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) in minors

Physical Abuse

Legal definitions vary from country to country. However, physical abuse is broadly defined as any non-accidental physical act inflicted upon a child by a parent, caregiver, or other person who has responsibility for the child, which can result in physical injury. Examples include hitting, kicking, shaking, burning, or other shows of force against a child.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse occurs when an adult or another child asks or pressures, or force a child for sexual contact. The abuser may use physical abuse, bribery, threats, tricks, or take advantage of the child’s limited knowledge of sexual matters. Most cases are perpetrated by a person familiar to the child. Sexual abuse can also include taking photos of the child, or showing them pornography through pictures, magazines, movies, online.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse refers to behaviors that harm a child’s self-worth or emotional well-being. It is characterized by inattention to a child’s emotional needs, failure to provide psychological care, permitting a child to use alcohol or other drugs. In addition, children who witness domestic violence or who live with a sex offender in their homes can fall under the umbrella of emotional abuse. Examples include name calling, shaming, rejection, withholding love, and threatening

Neglect

The failure of a parent, guardian, or other caregiver to provide for a child’s basic physical and emotional needs. These needs include housing, food, clothing, education, and access to medical care. It can be in the form of physical, medical, education and emotional neglect.

Child Trafficking / Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)

A commercially sexually exploited child is one under the age of 18 who engages, agrees to engage in, or offers to engage in sexual conduct in exchange for money, clothing, food, shelter, education, goods or care. Exploited youth are not “child prostitutes,” they are child victims.

Abusive Head Trauma

Infants, babies or small children who suffer injuries or death from severe shaking, jerking, pushing or pulling may have been victims of Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), formerly Shaken Baby Syndrome. The act of shaking a baby is considered physical abuse, as spinal, head and neck injuries often result from violently shaking young children.

Institutional Abuse or Neglect

Abuse or neglect which occurs in any facility for children, including, but not limited to, group homes, residential or public or private schools, hospitals, detention and treatment facilities, family foster care homes, group day care centers and family day care homes.