What is child physical abuse?

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Child physical abuse refers to a situation in which a child suffers, or is likely to suffer, significant harm from an injury inflicted by the child's parent or caregiver. The injury may be inflicted intentionally or may be the inadvertent result of physical punishment or physically aggressive treatment of a child.

Behaviour by a parent or caregiver which may cause significant harm to a child, and is therefore physical abuse, includes;

• hitting;
• biting;
• shaking;
• punching;
• burning;
• administering poison;
• suffocating; and
• drowning.

Physical abuse may lead to bruises, cuts, welts, burns, fractures, internal injuries, or poisoning. In the most extreme cases, physical abuse results in the death of a child.

There are grounds for statutory intervention, under the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) 1989, when a child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm as a result of physical abuse and the child's parents or caregivers have failed to protect the child, or are unlikely to protect the child, from harm of that type.

Physical abuse of children is usually regarded as a criminal offence.

Note: While this booklet is concerned with physical injury which results from abuse, physical injury and significant harm may also result from neglect by a parent or caregiver. The failure of a parent or caregiver to ensure the safety of a child may expose the child to dangerous or even life threatening situations which result in physical injury to the child.

Estimating the incidence of child physical abuse

It is difficult to estimate the incidence of child physical abuse in Australia as available statistics are based on reported cases only. Many cases of child physical abuse remain hidden.

In Victoria since 1989 there has been a significant increase in the number of reports of physical abuse. Between 1989 and 1993, notifications of physical abuse to DHS increased by 120 per cent.

In the year 1992/93, a total of 19,344 notifications of possible child abuse or neglect were received by Protective Services. Four thousand, five hundred and eighty five (24 per cent) of these notifications concerned allegations of child physical abuse.

Children of any age may be physically abused. However, interstate research and Victorian statistics indicate that the incidence of reported physical abuse is greatest for very young children. A recent Australian study found that children under the age of one year are highly vulnerable to severe physical consequences of abuse, such as death, brain damage and permanent impairment. This is due to their small physical size, level of development and inability to obtain the basic necessities independent of their parents or caregivers.

In the same study the reported incidence of physical abuse of adolescent girls was similarly high; this was not apparent for adolescent boys.

Child physical abuse occurs in all kinds of families. While most physically abused children who come to the attention of Protective Services are from families where there is unemployment, high mobility and poverty,3 it is important not to overstate the link between involves poverty and the physical abuse of children. Child physical abuse may occur in any social class, culture or religious group in our society.

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Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 18 Sep 2009