Child abuse and neglect by parents and other family members is a phenomenon that extends throughout human history. Violence against children takes many forms and therefore many consequences. It occurs in a variety of settings and has a wide range of perpetrators. In order to better understand the consequences of physical abuse in the paper, the reader will be introduced to the basic anatomy and structure of the skeletal system. When diagnosing abused children, it is extremely important to distinguish between accidental injuries and intentionally inflicted injuries. Therefore, specific skeletal injuries will be addressed to identify physical abuse with pictorial examples, radiological methods used to diagnose abuse, causes of abuse and perpetrators, and prevention and protocol for dealing with child abuse and neglect. Fractures are a common occurrence in childhood and one needs to know how to recognize and distinguish accidental trauma from the consequences of abuse. When handling a case of an abused child, it is best to have a multidisciplinary team involving a pediatrician and a pediatric radiologist. Tomorrow's bearers of the development of any society are today's, often abused, children. In order to have healthier and happier adults in the future, the Republic of Croatia has prescribed the protection of children in various laws and international documents. Educated experts from the field of police, social welfare center, judiciary, health care and educational institutions are involved in the protection of children from abuse. With good education of experts and acquaintance of the general public with the problem of child abuse, violence against children can be stopped.