Donald E Greydanus & Joav Merrick 
Chronic Disease and Disability 
Abuse and Neglect in Childhood and Adolescence

In the 19th century, a greater understanding of children’s rights was acknowledged, and in the 20th century, child abuse was discovered in 1962 after many years of "turning a blind eye". The number of reported cases of child abuse worldwide has since exploded into a public health epidemic with a much higher incidence than better-funded diseases such as juvenile cancer. The evaluation of child abuse and neglect is complex, with many professionals and agencies involved to try and decrease these incidences. This can be one of the reasons why the field has not been able to attract appropriate resources for prevention, treatment, education and research. Child abuse must be looked upon as a major public health problem, and professionals must make the 21st century a "century for the child". In this book, the authors have given a short review of the field.