When considering the abuse of children and young people, we describe it under 4 categories:

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Neglect

Physical and sexual abuse can involve a single incident, although often multiple assaults occur and they can be ongoing situations that span many years.

Emotional abuse and neglect are, by definition, ongoing and persistent situations not single events.

Whenever physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect occur, there is also some degree of emotional abuse as well. Emotional abuse can occur without any of the other three, and so it is the only category or form of abuse that can occur in isolation, without any other form alongside it.