Neglect is not just a symptom of poverty, neglect can take many forms, but children from large families, perhaps with no father around, seem to suffer the most. They run the streets unsupervised and play in harmful situations, with seemingly no one caring enough to know where they are. This very young child is playing in filth, and sadly, no one seems to know where he is.

The angry look on this kid's face scares the other children, and that's what wants, fear and respect. If you look closely at his home life, I guarantee you will find another bully who is bullying him. Could be his father or an older brother, but he will take his feelings of anger and frustration out on other hapless children. We all knew someone just like him.

In homes where both parents work out of necessity, the older child becomes the "surrogate parent" This early crushing burden of responsibility is felt throughout their life time, while the younger siblings can feel neglected. This is also a personal memory.

When families experience financial hardship that results in constant moving to find work, it takes a toll on the children. This was my experience growing up, and this is me and my siblings, bound together for companionship and comfort as we never stayed anywhere long enough to keep friends, Oddly enough, we are not close today, or even live in the same state.

Being popular and therefore left out for whatever reason, physical differences, learning disabilities, even poverty, takes its toll on the "different " child. The sadness can turn to anger, the isolation into revenge. All children need a peer group, and the feeling of being on the outside looking inis very traumatic.

Hiding to get away from a rampaging parent rarely works, as we can see by the startled look on this child's face as the door is yanked open to reveal her hiding place. This may seem benign compared to other forms of abuse, but since I experienced this myself, it is just one moment in a childhood of fear.

Playing with fire is more common than parents realize. I myself was one, along with my brothers. This behavior can be solitary, or menacing as depicted in this picture. This boy is not only a bully, but has a cruel streak that might originate in abuse he himself experiences at ho,me.

Another image based on a true story of the subtle signs of molestation going ignored, or being called 'a loving father".
One of the most damaging crimes to the self esteem of a child, it is hard to justify when coming from the people who are suppose to be protecting you. And frequently, if the child tells, they are not believed. Buried deep in ones memories as a way to cope, it can surface as a memory that needs to faced at any time in someones life.

Bullying comes in many forms, but the classic example is a bigger kid beating up on a littler one. This "playground bully" could be from any part of a child's world when and where adult supervision is absent. Being a constant victim needs no explanation as to the sense of frustration and helplessness it engenders.

This sad child is based a a true story from a social worker I interviewed for this project. So often abused children grow up to be child abusers, their anger causing them to inflict the same kind of trauma they themselves experienced. It is an enormous societal problem and the jails and prisons are filled with these victims/perpetrators.