It's hard to imagine someone intentionally hurting a child. Yet nearly 1 million children are abused every year just in the United States alone. And these are only reported incidents of child abuse - many more cases are unreported and undetected, often because children are afraid to tell somebody who can help.Most of the time, kids know their abusers and the abuse happens in the home. This makes it difficult for kids to speak up. They may feel trapped by the affection they feel about their abusers or fearful of the power the abusers have over them - so they stay silent. That's why it's especially important to be able to recognize the signs of child abuse.