"More than 3 million children are the victims of child abuse each year. The task of preventing child abuse is difficult because maltreatment is not limited to physical violence but includes psychological and sexual abuse as well as neglect. The Encyclopedia of Child Abuse, Second Edition is a comprehensive guide to understanding and recognizing child abuse, as well as the factors that contribute to it, and how to protect children at risk.

Topics include: protective laws, such as the Model Protection Act; battered child syndrome; controversial child abuse cases, such as Prince v. Massachusetts, 1944; statistics on fatalities, as well as on child abusers and victims; common physical and psychological injuries; and helpful organizations, such as VOCAL (Victims of Child Abuse Laws).".

"Extensive appendixes include tables of state-by-state information about public notification of the release of sex offenders, grounds for termination of parental rights, and mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect, in addition to directories of helpful organizations and other resources.".

"Though there have been many attempts to identify and explain child abuse, more than 500 detailed entries contained in this encylopedia offer the comprehensive coverage needed to shed light on this tragic and persistent social problem."--BOOK JACKET.