Child abuse protection in our society is the duty, official or otherwise, for all adults. The responsibility of child abuse protection and keeping children safe from harm is especially relevant for those who work in a field that has direct contact with children. This is an onerous task. It is made particularly difficult because it can be very hard for the untrained or unperceptive eye to detect what is going on in the life of children. Nevertheless there are signs of child abuse and it is helpful for any responsible adult to know what they are. If there is some awareness of child abuse but a person is not sure they should discuss the matter with professionals that can be found in relevant government departments or agencies.

There are a number of indicative factors that may alert a person to the possibility that child abuse is occurring. These signs include physical and behavioural factors. The presence of one or more of these signs need not necessarily mean that child abuse is occurring. It is important to take in to account the whole family situation and other factors that may be impacting on a child. When weighing up the circumstances it is helpful to take in to account risk factors which may include the social and geographical isolation of the child, violence within the family and the presence of physical and mental issues with family members of the child.

Signs of child abuse can include physical appearance of a child or the circumstances occurring in a child's life zone. A child may appear to be in a physically poor condition such as being unwashed, underweight, tired, poor complexion and hair colour or unhappy. They may have physical problems that appear as though they have not been treated. The child may have various sore, nappy rash, urine scalds and unattended dental issues. The child's hygiene level may be low.

In more serious cases there may be more obvious physical signs. This can include bruises; lacerations and welts to various parts of the body, seen and hidden. This might even extend to broken bones and fractures. Note even adult bites and scratches. A child's eyes may be indicative of abuse for example if they have pools of blood, this might be a result of head injuries. A child might complain of having abdominal pains and be vomiting. For someone who has the reason for closer inspection vaginal mutilation should sound alarm bells. Often if a parent or a child's carer is questioned about physical signs of abuse explanations may arouse suspicion.

Neglected children commonly lack appropriate supervision. They might avoid going to school. They often seek out adult attention. Note the behaviour of the child. A neglected child may have challenging behaviours including sucking rocks and head banging. It may be the case that a child is noticed scavenging for food or stealing it from other children or other places. Children subjected to abuse may attempt to swallow poisonous substances, drink alcohol and take drugs.

There may be signs of emotional or sexual abuse. These factors may be more observable at a psychological level. For physical abuse and neglect the observations may be more apparent and it is important for anyone working with children to be perceptive and alert to picking these factors up for child abuse protection.