Child-abuse hotline available 24 hours a day

Child abuse, which can affect children of any age, takes many forms, according to Childhelp USA, an Arizona-based, nonprofit national program that aids abused and neglected children through regional advocacy or care centers, group homes, research, and a 24-hour hotline. Abuse can be physical, such as hitting, pinching, slapping; emotional or psychological, such as screaming, belittling or withholding affection; neglect, such as a lack of supervision or a failure to provide housing or food; or sexual abuse, according to the group and to area child-protection and child-welfare programs. Callers to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline can ask for literature to be mailed to them, or they can remain anonymous and speak to a counselor, who can offer information about emergency-aid locations.

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