ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with victimisation of young children with emphasis on physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, psychological abuse, and witnessing interparental violence. Maltreatment can have devastating effects on the development of children, although children differ in the ways that they are affected. Maltreated children can exhibit a large variety of internalising and externalising problem behaviours. The identification of child maltreatment is not an easy task. Although many maltreated children develop internalising and externalising problem behaviours, these problems also can be seen in non-maltreated children from problematic but not maltreating families. In victims of all ages, nightmares, depression, neurotic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and aggressive and regressive behaviours are reported. Nevertheless, there are exceptions and in some parts of the Netherlands child victims of sexual abuse and child witnesses of interparental violence are treated by specialised professionals.
