Child abuse has for a long time been recorded in
literature, art and science in many parts of the
world. Reports of infanticide, mutilation, abandonment and other forms of violence against children
date back to ancient civilizations (1). The historical
record is also filled with reports of unkempt, weak
and malnourished children cast out by families to
fend for themselves and of children who have been
sexually abused.
For a long time also there have existed charitable
groups and others concerned with children’s wellbeing who have advocated the protection of
children. Nevertheless, the issue did not receive
widespread attention by the medical profession or
the general public until 1962, with the publication
of a seminal work,The battered child syndrome, by
Kempe et al. (2).
The term ‘‘battered child syndrome’’ was coined
to characterize the clinical manifestations of serious
physical abuse in young children (2). Now, four
decades later, there is clear evidence that child abuse
is a global problem. It occurs in a variety of forms
and is deeply rooted in cultural, economic and
social practices. Solving this global problem,
however, requires a much better understanding
of its occurrence in a range of settings, as well as of
its causes and consequences in these settings.