Child abuse. The mere thought of it sends chills down your spine and makes your hair stand on end. For those who suffer it, the nightmare continues for a lifetime, or until death at an early age. For those who are guilty of perpetrating the crime, the punishment cannot be severe enough or the shame of it great enough.

Forgiveness of the incident is hard to provide, and treatment of the psychological effects is long term. Some victims never recover, even as adults. Others who have been scarred emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally carry the memories forever.

Those who are abusers are in many cases those who have been abused as children and act out those violent actions in behavior as older children, adolescents, or adults. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, according to pediatrician Dr. Vincent Ianelli on About.com. Awareness of child abuse is a major factor in leading to the reduction of cases, as noted:

--Learn about child abuse prevention, recognizing the signs of child abuse, and the devastating effects of child abuse.--Review some of the signs of child abuse that can alert you to when a child is being abused.
--Learn about child abuse statistics, including how many cases of suspected child abuse are reported each week and where the reports come from. --Child abuse cases and stories straight from the headlines of recent newspapers can help to highlight how common child abuse is so that everyone may be more likely to report suspected child abuse and neglect.