Child abuse and neglect can take many forms. Below are the recognized types of abuse. Click on each to learn more about the signs, effects, and how to get help.
Child Neglect
Child neglect is a pattern of behavior that results in the impairment of a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth, or denying the child basic needs.
Learn More →Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse includes any interaction between a child and an adult (or older child) in which the child is used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or an observer.
Learn More →Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse, sometimes called psychological abuse, involves a pattern of behavior that harms a child's emotional development or sense of self-worth.
Learn More →Institutional Abuse
Institutional abuse is abuse that occurs in group homes, residential treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, or other institutional settings.
Learn More →Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is non-accidental physical injury to a child, including striking, kicking, burning, or biting, regardless of whether the caretaker intended to injure the child.
Learn More →Child Trafficking
Child trafficking involves recruiting, harboring, transporting, or obtaining a child for the purpose of exploitation, including sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
Learn More →See Something? Say Something.
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline.
Call 844-CO-4-KIDS