Scarring for life: abuse with electric cords

The authors studied 78 cases of child abuse in which electric cords were used to discipline children. Abuse was usually chronic, and body scars and/or lacerations, usually linear or looped in shape, were found on 95% of these children. Black children over age 5 years were most often the victims. The most commonly injured and/or scarred body sites were the arms, thighs, and back. The majority of perpetrators were single female heads of household raising more than one child, who did not perceive their use of electric cords to discipline children as inappropriate.