Introduction:

Confinement due to COVID-19 pandemic that children are exposed to favors child abuse.

Objectives:

To describe different ways of child abuse that can occur during confinement due to COVID-19.

Methods:

The research was carried out from March to June, 2020. As primary information sources were used: books, scientific journals and thesis; and as secondary sources: Scielo and Redalyc databases, and UNICEF and UNESCO documents. The terms and keywords used in the search were: family, child abuse, quarantine, COVID-19.

Results:

It was defined the concept of abuse and the risk factors involved. It was mentioned physical abuse, abandonment, sexual abuse, abuse of power, and psychological abuse. There were stated the psychological reactions that children might present due to the impact of confinement. It was also addressed the importance of detecting children abuse, and some directions in this regard were given to the parents.

Final considerations:

Alert state generated by COVID-19 has implanted new stressors which can trigger abuse situations in the children population like: violence while raising children as a way of physical abuse, abandonment practices although the family members are living together, children and adolescents´ sexual abuse at home; psychological abuse derived from fears that minors suffers, and the safety that the family must provide. Adaptability to the confinement situation and the fact of declaring cases of abuse are mediated by the role of parents, teachers and relatives.

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