What You

Should Know

About

Child Abuse

(For Children Ages 6–11)

If You Need

Help

Here is what you should do if

you need help:

1. Talk to an adult you trust. If

one adult does not believe you or

cannot help you, don’t give up. Keep trying until

you find an adult who believes you and can help

you.

2. Practice saying NO loud and clear so adults

know you really mean it.

3. Call the police immediately—dial 911.

4. Call the Child Abuse Hotline—dial

1–800–422–4453.

Things To Remember

There are some important things for you to

remember if you are abused:

It’s your body.

No one has the right to touch you. You can

say no.

Abuse is never your fault.

Even if you don’t say no, it is never your fault.

Abuse always hurts.

It can hurt your feelings or your body.

Keep telling until someone listens.

Even if the first person you tell doesn’t help you,

someone will. Telling the right person is how you

stop abuse.

What happens next is not your fault.

When you tell someone about child abuse, things

may be difficult for a while. But the abuse will

end, and you and the abuser can both get help.

Resources for Information

and Assistance

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

1–800–4–A–CHILD or 1–800–422–4453

www.childhelpusa.org

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

1–800–843–5678

www.missingkids.org

National Center for Victims of Crime

1–800–FYI–CALL or 1–800–394–2255

www.ncvc.org

National Children’s Alliance

Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers

1–800–239–9950

www.nca-online.org

National Organization for Victim Assistance

1–800–TRY–NOVA or 1–800–879–6682

www.try-nova.org

National Runaway Switchboard

1–800–621–4000

Office for Victims of Crime Resource Center

1–800–627–6872

TTY 1–877–712–9279

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ovcres/welcome.html

This brochure was developed by the National Center for 

Victims of Crime under a project supported by Grant No.

97–VF–GX–K007 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime,

Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

Points of view in this document are those of the author

and do not necessarily represent the official position

or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
What is child abuse?

Child abuse is when an adult hurts a child and it

is not by accident. There are four kinds of child

abuse:

■ Physical abuse is when an adult hurts you by

hitting or beating you.

■ Emotional abuse is when an adult says things

that make you feel like a bad person.

■ Neglect is when an adult hurts you by keeping food, care, and shelter away from you.

■ Sexual abuse is when an adult touches the

private parts of your body or has you touch

the private parts of his or her body. It also can

happen if an adult tries to get you to take off

your clothes or touches or kisses you in a way

that scares you. Everyone likes to be hugged

or touched by someone he or she cares for,

but some kinds of touching are not good for

you. If you aren’t sure if a touch is good or

bad, talk to an adult you trust about it.

Even if you have done something bad, that

does not make it okay for an adult to hurt you!

Who abuses kids?

Most adults care about kids and never abuse

them, but some adults lose their

tempers or can’t control themselves. Sometimes strangers

abuse kids, but sometimes

kids are abused by someone

they know—a friend of the

family, a neighbor, a teacher,

a minister, or even a parent or

stepparent.

Why would someone

abuse a kid?

An adult who abuses children has a problem

and needs to get help to stop hurting kids.

Even nice people can do bad things. Sometimes,

it is hard to believe that someone we love or

someone who is nice can hurt kids.

Is it my fault if this 

happens to me?

No. Some kids blame themselves, but it is the

adult who must be blamed. Adults might tell you

that you are bad and the abuse is your fault. But

no matter what, if you are abused, it is never

your fault.

How can I stop it?

The way to stop abuse is to talk about it. Child

abuse is against the law. Even if the abuse only

happens once or seems like it is over, it is important to tell someone you trust.

Child abusers may tell kids that something bad

will happen if they ever tell anyone. If the abuser

is a family member, kids may be afraid the family

will break apart if they tell the secret. Remember,

the way to stop abuse is to tell someone. You

should not keep it a secret.

Will anyone believe me?

Yes. There are adults who will believe you and

who will help you. Some adults may not want to

believe that you have been abused. If an

adult tells you to forget about it, tell

someone else.

Keep telling until someone listens!

What will happen to the

abuser if I tell?

The abuser may get the kind of help he or she

needs to stop hurting children. A person who

abuses children needs help. Most abusers need

special counseling. If the abuser is someone in

your family, you may see less of him or her for a

while. Because child abuse is against the law,

some abusers may go to jail.

If an abuser goes to jail, it is his or her fault—

not yours!

Warning Signs

Here are some warning signs that you might be

in danger:

 Someone follows you home.

 You are home alone when the phone rings,

and someone says things that scare you.

 You are home alone when a stranger comes

to the door and tries to come inside.

 Your parent, stepparent, or another adult

gets angry and his or her behavior scares you.

 Your father hits your mother, or your mother

hits your father.

 An adult tries to hurt you.