The belief that the use of force will not have any serious consequences for children persisted until relatively recently. Attitudes began to change in the late 19th century with the formation of the first societies for the prevention of cruelty to children. Estimates of the numbers of children abused vary widely, but it is agreed that large numbers of children are abused each year. However, little is known about what happens to abused children after their abuse is disclosed. Clinical experience indicates that some of these children receive the help they need while others do not. Many professionals question the current emphasis on the legal processing of cases and argue that providing social and mental health services to abused children and their families is as important as the investigation of child abuse. Other recent developments include the increase of numbers of adults who claim to have been falsely accused of child abuse, the development of procedures intended to help determine the difference between true and false cases, and an increase in the number of professionals focusing on the issues of child abuse and child service. An encouraging sign for the future is a slight decrease in some forms of violence toward children between 1975 and 1985, possibly due to increased parental awareness about the inappropriateness of violence. Table and 21 references