EMOTIONAL ABUSE

Emotional abuse occurs when an adult harms a child’s development by repeatedly treating and speaking to a child in ways that damage the child’s ability to feel and express their feelings. Some examples are:

• constantly putting a child down
• humiliating or shaming a child
• not showing love, support or guidance
• continually ignoring or rejecting the child
• exposing the child to family and domestic violence
• threatening abuse or bullying a child
• threats to harm loved ones, property or pets.

Possible signs of emotional abuse include when a child:

• is very shy, fearful or afraid of doing something wrong
• displays extremes of behaviour for example from being very aggressive to very passive
• is not able to feel joy or happiness
• is often anxious or distressed
• feels worthless about life and themselves
• has delayed emotional development.