There are generally ten recognized categories of abuse according to adult safeguarding guidance, which include:

• Physical abuse
• Domestic violence or abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Psychological or emotional abuse
• Financial or material abuse
• Modern slavery
• Discriminatory abuse
• Organisational or institutional abuse
• Neglect or acts of omission
• Self-neglect

These categories cover a wide range of harmful behaviors, from physical harm and sexual violence to financial exploitation and neglect. Some sources also mention additional related types such as bullying, verbal abuse, technological abuse, and hate crimes, but the core categories remain consistent across official safeguarding frameworks

. For children, abuse is often categorized into four main types: physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect

. In summary, for adults, the standard framework identifies ten distinct categories of abuse , while for children, the main categories are typically four.