Hands that should comfort may be regarded as a dangerous extension.  It takes a long time, much patience for a person battered by hands as a child to trust again, and most likely they never will heal.

If you say to a child, "Give me your hand" or "Lets hold hands" she or he may instantly pull away as if burned or violently reject the idea.  Children traumatized by hands, may not view the offer as friendly, if in their past someones offered hand dealt pain.  It depends on the age of the child and their vocabulary, along with their ability to strings words together to form complex sentences just how much they can tell you as to why they fear an offered hand.. 

• Hold on a hot wood stove
• Hold under water
• Hold to suffocate
• Hold to harm
• Hold to hurt
• Hold to bend or break fingers
• Hold to violate
• Hold to drag child to harm
• Hold to abuse
• Hold to subdue
• Hold to brutalize
• Hold to torture
• Hold to capture
• Hold to kidnap
• Hold to confine
• Hold to restrain
• Hold to bind
• Hold to tie up
• Hold to beat
• Hold to rape
• Hold to sexually abuse or assault
• Hold to capture
• Hold to secure
• Hold to punish
• Hold to harm
• Hold to fondle
• Hold to use domestic violence
• Hold to sacrifice
• Hold to prevent escape
• Hold to burn (with cigarette)
• Hold to set broken bone
• Hold to put hand in fire
• Hold to put hand on stove burner
• Hold to burn with candle
• Hold to bite
• Hold to give hickeys
• Hold to crush
• Hold to stop breathing
• Hold to slap
• Hold to hit
• Hold to punch
• Hold to pinch
• Hold ear
• Hold to kick
• Hold to spank

Remember, the foundation for all violence begins at birth through 13 years old.  Hands that are supposed to love and comfort may be instruments of harm to many children.  When family, friends or acquaintances pull away, it may not be you they resist but possibly a strong memory from their past.  If a child physically reacts (ducks from hand movement close to their face) it is a strong indication that the child was hit frequently enough for this to be a natural reaction.  The dodge or duck response is carried over into adulthood and can be very noticeable when there is any rapid or unexpected movement is close to the face.