Child abuse
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses the term child maltreatment to refer to both acts of abuse and neglect. According to the WHO, the term abuse includes  "words or overt actions that cause harm, potential harm, or threat of harm to a child"; neglect means  "the failure to provide for a child's basic physical, emotional, or educational needs or to protect a child from harm or potential harm".