Research indicates that over one third of adults in the United States have been victims of child maltreatment including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and/or neglect as a child. This entry reviews the definitions and prevalence of child abuse, the multiple connections between less and more severe levels of abuse, and the serious negative consequences of all degrees of violence for the child throughout the life course. Traditional and human rights models of child maltreatment are compared, with implications for the cycle of child maltreatment across generations and child abuse prevention.