Child abuse is one of the most tragic problems in America today. Every year, more than three million American children are beaten, neglected or sexually abused by their parents or guardians. Infants only a few days old as well as adolescents are victims of abuse. There are four types of child abuse: physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Child abuse is a serious problem affecting America's youth and must be stopped. Physical abuse is a form of child abuse. According to social agencies, beatings against children have increased over the past twenty years. Physical violence is any mistreatment that is harmful to a child. This type of abuse includes physical discipline that results in unobservable injuries to the child. It also includes the use of a life-threatening weapon, such as a gun or knife, against a child and any abuse resulting in death. Any abuse resulting in serious injury requiring prompt medical attention, potentially life-threatening, potentially causing mental illness. and/or physical impairment, could result in disfigurement, or chronic pain is overly classified as physical child abuse. Another form of physical abuse is any knowing or deliberate mistreatment that, in the opinion of a licensed physician, causes serious bodily harm and/or results in hospitalization for treatment of that injury or condition; this can include physical injuries sustained as a result of abuse or conditions resulting from a parent's deliberate failure to act to prevent this from happening to the child. Physical neglect is defined as the failure to meet a child's physical survival needs to the extent that there is harm or risk of harm to the child's health and safety. Physical neglect includes these four elements: inadequate food, inadequate housing, inadequate medical care, and inadequate supervision. Forty-two percent of all child abuse reports involve allegations of physical neglect. The inadequate dietary component includes a child who intentionally or deliberately does not receive food or water. It also includes a doctor's diagnosis of failure to thrive due to a parent's inability to feed the child. Inadequate shelter includes severe and prolonged illness resulting from exposure to the elements or serious hazardous substances, as evidenced by serious injury. Inadequate medical care includes the child not receiving medication... middle of paper ... aggression, ignorance and indifference, or constant family conflict. This also includes punishments like locking the child in a dark closet. Sometimes such behaviors can cause serious mental disorders. If a child is degraded enough, he or she will begin to live up to the image communicated by the abusive parent or guardian. This type of abuse is the hardest to notice because it leaves no trace. An emotionally abused child may appear withdrawn or show frustration by mistreating other children, animals, or property. Child abuse is a serious problem plaguing America's youth and must be stopped. Physical abuse and neglect can hurt someone to the point of needing to go to the hospital or even die. Sexual abuse can cause injury and scar someone for life with memories of the act(s) of sexual abuse that.