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| Child Sexual Abuse |  - Awakening at night sweating, screaming or trembling with nightmares.
- Masturbating extensively.
- Demonstrating unusually aggressive behavior toward family members, friends, pets, and toys.
- Your child may complain for pain while urination or having a bowel movement.
- Your child or you may notice the exhibiting symptoms of genital infections, like offensive odors, or signs of a sexually transmitted disease.
- Symptoms that indicate the evidence of physical traumas to the genital or anal area.
- You begin to notice that the bed of your teen is wet.
- Loss of appetite or other eating problems.
- Unexplained retch.
- Demonstration of unusual fear in a certain place or location.
- Developing frequent unexplained health conditions.
- Involving in persistent sexual play with friends, pets or toys.
- Experiencing unexplained periods of panic that may be flashbacks from the abuse.
- Regressing to behaviors too young for the stage of development they already achieved.
- Involving in sophisticated sexual behaviors.
- Demonstrating a sudden disinclination to be alone with a certain person.
- Symptoms of self-mutilations, like markings from sticking themselves with pins or cutting themselves.
- Loss interest in previously enjoyable activities, like sports, hobbies, etc.
- Asking an unusual amount of questions about human sexuality.
Methods that will help to prevent child sexual abuse:
- Judges, lawyers, doctors, psychologists, police and other social workers that provide assistance to victims of child sexual abuse should get specialized training.
- Children should receive better knowledge and skills necessary for their safety and well-being.
- Adults should create in our families and communities an atmosphere in which they feel safe enough to come forward if they are being maltreated or abused.
- It is particularly important for children who have been sexually abused to receive prevention education, as they are at high risk of revictimization.
Where to apply for support services:
- child welfare agency
- social service agency
- police department
- mental health centre
- sexual assault centre
- hospital
- distress center
- other community service organizations that provide counseling to teenagers, children and their families.
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