A demographic profile of India, including the infant mortality rate, is followed by a brief case study of an 8-year-old child sold by her parents to a man who profited from placing her in a brothel. A section on types and definitions of abuse encompasses societal abuse, child labor, child prostitution, abuses of the female child, abortion, child marriage, parental/caregiver abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Remaining sections of the chapter focus on the prevalence of child abuse in India, pertinent legal innovations, and the child protection system. Although India has long recognized the need to protect children and has several laws to define and enforce their rights, most governmental and private social service agencies have, of necessity, focused on children's basic survival needs. Human service professionals in India must identify and denounce harmful behavior that is not proscribed by Indian society. Advocates for children must continue to lobby for the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1990), the Children Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, the Child Labour Act, the Child Beggary Act, and the Child Marriage Restraint Act, and for the enforcement of the Penal Code to protect children from exploitation. Human service workers in India may need to reassess long-held perceptions of children, the use of children, and child-rearing practices. 4 notes and 47 references