The Incidence and Scope of Child-Abusive Behavior

Abstract

Maltreatment of children by their parents is not a new development in the history of societies. As investigators like Burgess (1979) and Steele (1976) have pointed out, violence within families has probably existed since the early beginnings of civilization when family units first developed. In ancient Rome, children were considered the property of their parents; fathers could, if they so desired, kill their own offspring with complete legal impunity. In Biblical times, there are frequent accounts of children being sacrificed or killed, such as when the Pharaoh directed the killing of all Hebrew children (Exodus 1:15, 1:22) and when King Herod ordered that all male children under two years of age be murdered (Matthew 2:16).