How can you tell if your child is being sexually abused?

Question

How can you tell if your child is being sexually abused?

Answer 1

Waking up during the night sweating, screaming or shaking with nightmares.

Masturbating excessively.

Showing unusually aggressive behavior toward family members, friends, toys, and pets.

Complaining of pain while urinating or having a bowel movement, or exhibiting symptoms of genital infections such as offensive odors, or symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease.

Having symptoms indicating evidence of physical traumas to the genital or anal area.

Beginning wetting the bed.

Experiencing a loss of appetite or other eating problems, including unexplained gagging.

Showing unusual fear of a certain place or location.

Developing frequent unexplained health problems.

Engaging in persistent sexual play with friends, toys or pets.

Having unexplained periods of panic, which may be flashbacks from the abuse.

Regressing to behaviors too young for the stage of development they already achieved.

Initiating sophisticated sexual behaviors.

Indicating a sudden reluctance to be alone with a certain person.

Engaging in self-mutilations, such as sticking themselves with pins or cutting themselves.

Withdrawing from previously enjoyable activities, like school or school performance change.

Asking an unusual amount of questions about human sexuality.  

Answer 2

If your child make show many signs. She may become very with-drawled, including not wanting to participate in after school activites. She may stop taking care of her outward appearnce in the hopes of not appealing to her abuser. She may become very irritable.

She might even become very promiscuios. If you don't have an open relationship with your child, find someone you know they will open up to and ask that person to talk with yuor child about potential abuse. Good luck.  

Answer 3

first off take child to dr tell dr what your fears are,they can give you all the help you need.GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Your child needs your help don't let him or her down,be the grown up and take care of this child.

Answer 4

I hate topics like this but only because the thought kills me,My little cousin was sexually abused & some of the signs she showed was touching herself or putting things near her private areas,another sign is maybe when someone tries to hug them or kiss them they pull or run away kind of hide,Im sure theres much more but these are the only ones I know of,if you know a child who you thinks being sexually abuse then you should try asking them,it takes awhile but Im sure you can get them to talk if that doesnt work & your still really worried you can try getting some help for the child to find out of its happening & if there ok,Anyways Hope I helped

Answer 5

We need to bond with our children. We need to tell them to have confidence in us so that they can learn to confide. So talk, talk inane things, share your child's world and spend some time with him or her. And you will be the first one to know everything.

Answer 6

you can ask the child but its tough depending on their age and they may also be to scared to answer. NIGHT TERRORS not nightmares are a sign. NIght terrors is where the child will start crying and even walking but yet can still be alseep or not fully awake. (they can also fight you off when you go near them never opening their eyes) Another thing that is a warning that your child has seen something wrong or is being abused is if they start acting sexual. if you catch them rubbing them selfs or humping. You can google and get alot of info "what are signs your child is being molested" "signs of being sexual abused" and so on and lots of info will pop up. If you think your child is being abused you need to do something now. GO TO THE DOC. they can check and see. if its a girl and she has been pentrated and torn there isthe sign. boys are easier for you to check if you think someone is abusing him you can look at his genitals and if they are red it possible (a doc would have to check his butt)  

Answer 7

If you think a child has been or is being sexually abused, you should take them to a train therapist.  This is a delicate matter because if you try to talk to the child you could put information into the child head that is false, or you could further traumatize the child.  ALL children do not talk and tell what is happening to them no matter how close you may think your relationship with the child is.  If the child is not your child then you need to report if to an agency in your state.  The only national agency I can think of is Stop It Now! helpline at 1-888-PREVENT.  

Answer 8

Most of what "louie" gives as signs are also signs of autism which has no link with sexual abuse other than the signs which has often caued autism to misinterpreted as sexual abuse.

While I do not wish to downplay sexual abuse-especially of a minor-far too many autistic children have been taken away from their families because they have shown signs which were misinterpreted as sexual abuse.  

It has only been recently that people have begun to realize that many of the so called signs of sexual abuse are also very common signs of autism.  The child doesn't need to be classically autistic either but could just have some level of asperger's syndrome which might only show up as somewhat antisocial.

The most accurate way to tell if it is abuse is to ask the kid directly-while assuring him or her that they have never done anything wrong.  You need to be carefull with that as well though as there have been cases where kids were asked the questions in such a way as to force them to give the answer the asker wants-whether or not it is true.  There have been several cases that have reached the news about where a young child was told that he or she couldn't ever see their parents again unless they said that they had been__(fill in)__by them-even if the alleged abuse hadn't happened.

Answer 9

why dont you ask your child?