Recognizing Sexual Abuse

IF YOU SUSPECT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE:

• DO believe the child—Don’t walk away.
  
  
• DON’T try to investigate.
  
  
• DO report reasonable suspicions by calling:
  
  
  • Midland Police Department — 685-7110
  • Midland Co. Sheriff’s Office — 688-1223
  • 24-Hour Child Abuse Hotline — 1-800-252-5400

WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IF I SUSPECT A CHILD IS BEING SEXUALLY ABUSED?

• Physical signs of sexually transmitted disease
• Evidence of injury to the genital area
• Pregnancy in a young girl
• Difficulty in sitting or walking
• Frequent expressions of sexual activity between adult and child
• Extreme fear of being alone with adults of a certain sex
• Sexually suggestive, inappropriate, or promiscuous behavior
• Knowledge of sexual relations beyond what is expected for a child’s age
• Sexual victimization of other children

Child sexual abuse cases can be very difficult to prove largely because cases where definite, objective evidence exists are the exception. The first indicators of sexual abuse may not be physical signs, but behavior changes or abnormalities. Unfortunately, because it is usually so difficult to accept that sexual abuse may be occurring, the adult may misinterpret the signals and feel that the child is merely being disobedient or insolent. The reaction to the disclosure of abuse then becomes disbelief and rejection to the child's statements.

The child victim may be the only witness. In that case, the child's statements may also be the only evidence that sexual abuse has occurred. In such cases, the central issue sometimes becomes-can the child's statements be trusted as true? Some child welfare experts believe that children never lie about sexual abuse and that their statements must always be believed. According to Douglas Besharov it is the job of the child protective agency to make the determination as to whether or not sexual abuse has occurred; as a general rule, all doubts should be resolved in favor of making a report. A child who describes being sexually abused should be reported unless there is clear reason to disbelieve the statement. According to the American Humane statistics, only 2-8% of all reports of child sexual maltreatment are deliberately false.

WHAT CAN PARENTS DO TO PROTECT THEIR CHILDREN?

They can teach children about what appropriate sexual behavior is and when to say "no" if someone tries to touch sexual parts of their bodies or in any way that makes them feel uncomfortable. Parents can observe children when they interact with others to see if they are hesitant or uncomfortable around a certain adult. Most importantly, children need to know they can speak openly to a trusted adult and they will be believed. Children who are victims of sexual abuse should always be reassured that they are not guilty for what has happened to them and should not feel ashamed.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children provides parents with important information on:

• Preventing the Sexual Exploitation of Children
• Resources for parents
• Featured Publications

Darkness To Light is dedicated to providing adults with the information to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. See 7 Steps to Protecting Our Children.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - DISCLOSURES

Children often fail to report because of the fear that disclosure will bring consequences even worse than being victimized again. The victim may feel guilty for penalties to the perpetrator or fear retaliation from them. [Sources: Berlinger & Barbieri, 1984; Groth, 1979; Swanson & Biaggio, 1985]

Victims may have a feeling that something is wrong with them and that the abuse is their fault. [Sources: Johnson, 1987; Tsai & Wagner, 1978]

Feelings of guilt associated with being a victim of abuse include feeling different from peers, harboring vengeful and angry feelings toward parents, feeling guilty about reporting the abuse and bringing disruption to the family. For children, any of these feelings of guilt could outweigh the decision to report. [Sources: Courtois & Watts, 1982; Tsai & Wagner, 1978]

Early identification of sexual abuse victims appears to be crucial to the reduction of suffering of the abused youth and to the establishment of support systems for help with appropriate psychological development and healthier adult functioning. As long as disclosure continues to be a problem for young victims, fear, suffering and psychological distress will remain with the victim. [Sources: Bagley, 1992; Bagley, 1991; Finkelhor et al. 1990; Whitlock & Gillman, 1989]

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE?

Sometimes the child may be so traumatized by sexual abuse that years may go by before he/she is able to understand or talk about what happened. In these cases, adult survivors of sexual abuse may come forward for the first time at the age of 40-50 and divulge the horror of their experiences. Its effects extend far beyond childhood occurrence. It robs children of their childhood, creates a loss of trust, feelings of guilt and/or self-abusive behavior. It can lead to antisocial behavior, depression, identity confusion, loss of self-esteem and other serious emotional problems.