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While abuse can and does take place outside the family, the majority of abused children, especially very young children, are abused in the privacy of their family.
There are no definite reasons why some people abuse and others do not, and abusers come from all areas of society. Moreover, different families can face similar challenges that can lead to abuse in one family but not in another. Mothers are more likely to be responsible for physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect, primarily because they are usually the main caretaker. Men are usually, but not exclusively, the perpetrators of sexual abuse, and female children rather than males tend to be the victims.
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