What is Child Abuse? 
Source: Prevent Child Abuse Virginia

Under the law, an abused or neglected child is any child under 18 whose parent, or any other person responsible for the care of the child:

• causes, or threatens to cause, a physical or mental injury except for an accident.
• fails to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or caring support.
• abandons the child.
• fails to provide the kind of supervision necessary for a child’s age or level of development.
• commits, or allows to be committed, any illegal sexual act involving the child — including incest, rape, fondling, indecent exposure, prostitution — or allows the child to be used in any sexually explicit visual material.

Child abuse is not usually just one physical or verbal attack or just one instance of failure to meet a child’s most basic needs. Usually child abuse is a pattern of behavior that takes place over a period of time. The longer child abuse continues, the more serious it becomes, the more serious is the injury to the child and the more difficult it is to stop.  

More About Sexual Abuse... 
Sexual abuse includes any sexual act between an adult and a minor or between two minors when one exerts power over the other. Forcing, coercing or persuading a child to engage in any type of sexual act, including sexual contact.  It also includes non-contact acts such as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, voyeurism, and communicating in a sexual manner by phone or Internet.  

More About Emotional Abuse...
“Emotional/mental maltreatment of children can include patterns of:  verbal assaults (e.g., screaming, intimidating, rejecting, ridiculing, blaming, sarcasm); ignoring and indifferent behavior to children; or constant family conflict." - Virginia Department of Social Services
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If a child discloses abuse to you or you suspect or have reason to believe a child is being abused, contact the local police or social services.