“Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment, and is defined as physical injury resulting from punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning or otherwise harming a child”. National Resource Center on Child Abuse and Neglect.
Physical indicators include:
Behavioral indicators include:
Many times physical abuse is a result of excessive discipline or physical punishment that is inappropriate for the child’s age. To try to justify for the abusive behavior, an often misquoted Bible verse is used:
He who spares the rod, spoils the child. - Proverbs 13:24.
Godly discipline, administered in love shouldn’t leave physical marks or emotional scars.
Types of Child Abuse: