A chapter on the characteristics of family violence considers the nature and scope of the problem, factors that contribute to family violence, and the cycle-of-violence theory. The second chapter addresses physical child abuse. It profiles abusers and the abused and discusses various signs of physical child abuse, notably bruises, burns, fractures, and head and internal injuries. Chapter 3 focuses on child sexual abuse, as it discusses indications of sexual abuse, the nature of sexual abuse, and the role of expert witnesses in confirming that sexual abuse has occurred. A chapter on child neglect encompasses its symptoms, the failure-to thrive syndrome, emotional neglect, and other types of child neglect. Sibling abuse is considered in another chapter and includes discussions of siblings as perpetrators of violence and the serial abuse of siblings. A separate chapter covers ritualistic child abuse. A discussion of the response of professionals to child abuse addresses reporting, interviewing, and intervention. Other chapters focus on spousal abuse, the criminal justice response to spousal abuse, elder abuse, the abuse of gays and lesbians, sexual violence against women, stalking, and victims' rights. Each chapter includes a summary, key terms, discussion questions, suggested readings, and endnotes. A subject index