One in six adults was physically abused as a child and one in five suffered mental abuse, according to a poll of 2,200 people aged 18 to 74 by research bureau TNO.

The researchers classified physical abuse as being pushed, being hit and having things thrown at them. Almost 10% said they were hit so hard they had bruises or open wounds.
More than 20% said they had suffered emotional abuse by being made to feel useless and that no-one loved them.
Wealthy country
Leiden University professor Rien van IJzendoorn told the Volkskrant the research shows that child abuse is a serious problem ‘even in a wealthy country like the Netherlands’.
The Dutch research results are ‘not drastically different’ from those in other countries, he said.
TNO researcher and paediatrician Ferko Ory told the paper children in abusive families are often put into foster care but rarely receive help for the trauma they have suffered.
‘We spot the signals. But no-one does anything. No-one feels responsible for these children,’ he said.
Other research, including studies by Unicef and the World Health Organisation, show that Dutch children are among the happiest in the world.