It is the physical or psychological/emotional mistreatment of children. Child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (CDC) Herrenkohl defined child abuse as "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm . There are four major categories of child abuse: • Neglect • Physical abuse • Psychological/emotional abuse • Sexual abuse • Parents should be educated about appropriate discipline techniques including discouraging the use of physical discipline, particularly in high-risk families. • Parents should be informed that exposure to domestic violence could have profound and long-lasting adverse effects on a child's behavior. • Parents should be educated about the dangers of shaking infants .