Child abuse and neglect is also known as child maltreatment,crimes against children or violence against children is common all around the world.
Child abuse constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of relationship of responsibility, trust or power.
Incidence of child abuse is increasing all over the world. In USA there has been 2000 death per year due to child abuse. In UK it is 400 deaths per year.
The size of the problem in Sri Lanka reflected in the data from women and children’s bureau of Sri Lanka Police. We can see a steady increase in the number of reported cases of child abuse in the data from 2010 to 2015. The number of reported cases of child abuse in 2015 is 5889. The number of grave crimes for 2015 is 3446 and it includes rape, kidnapping, grave sexual abuse, grievous hurt, cruelty, abduction, murder, etc.
A child can be abused in many ways such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
Child abuse can negatively affects child’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social growth. Herbert Ward says that “child abuse casts a shadow the length of a life time”
Management of children after a child abuse is very important. The system used to be not so helpful in the past and few national organization in Sri Lanka has developed guidelines for the management of children with child abuse or neglect.
![National Guideline for the management og Child Abuse and Negliect]()
The guidelines aims at multidisciplinary integration to minimize re-victimization of the child and provide comprehensive management.
This important booklet on National Guideline for the Mangement of child abuse and neglect is available for free download in the following link.
PDF Booklet of the Sri Lanka Guideline : Guideline for the Management of Child Abuse and Neglect.
s statistics. 
