Signs Of Sexual Abuse

As adults, we need to be aware of many things that surround our children. We need to know what to look for to warn us of danger or harm to our children. Here are some signs to help you recognize and prevent sexual abuse.

1.  Changes in behavior, such as: extreme mood swings, withdrawal, fearlessness, excessive crying.

2. Bed-wetting, nightmares, fear of going to bed and sleep disorders.

3. A sudden acting out of feelings or aggressive, rebellious behavior.

4. A fear of certain places, people or activities.

5.  Acting out inappropriate sexual activity or showing unusual interest in sexual matters.

6. Regression to infantile behavior.

7. Pain, itching, bleeding, fluid or rawness in the private areas.

* If you see any of these signs in your child, talk to them. Make sure they feel safe and they know that anything that happened to them was not their fault.

* To help prevent sexual abuse, talk to your child today about “appropriate” and “non-appropriate” touching. Assure them that you love them and you are here if anything happens that makes them feel uncomfortable. Stress to them that they have the right to say “NO!” and they need to tell someone right away if anyone tries to touch them in any way they are not comfortable with.