Child abuse is the physical, sexual or emotional maltreatment or neglect of a child or children.[1] In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department for Children And Families (DCF) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.[2] Child abuse can occur in a child's home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with. There are four major categories of child abuse:neglect, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and sexual abuse.
In Western countries, preventing child abuse is considered a high priority, and detailed laws and policies exist to address this issue. Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child abuse for the purposes of removing a child from his/her family and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. According to the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, child abuse is "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm".[3] child exploitation is one of the biggest problems of the planet. It is increasing constantly. More than 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 work in the world; it adds up to 11,5 million teens between the ages of 15 and 17. Most of them live in countries of the Third World, Asia, Africa but also in Europe and North America. In certain countries like India,Indonesia as well as Bangladesh, the children represent 10 at 15% of the labour force. Up to now, dealing was mainly associated with the trade of products. However, during last ten years, we have seen more and more children being sold.