Not always marks, but there are signs

Child abuse is usually not a single act, but a repeated pattern of

behavior. This is true of all types of abuse: physical, emotional and

sexual.

Disclosing abuse may be extremely difficult for children. They may

be trapped by secrecy and fear and often do not know how to tell

about the abuse. They may be influenced by special treatment or

gifts, threatened or made to feel they are responsible for the abuse.

All through their young lives, they have been programmed to obey

adults and keep promises.

Often the child is very confused, uncomfortable and unwilling to

talk about the experience to parents, teachers or anyone else. But

they are more likely to talk if you have already established an

atmosphere of trust and support in your home.

These symptoms are offered as general guidelines to help identify

a child abuse victim.

* Physical abuse and neglect:

Bruises, abrasions or lacerations appearing on the body that have

no apparent reasonable explanation could indicate physical abuse.

Consistent lack of cleanliness, hunger, always sleepy, lack of

supervision or severe anxiety could indicate neglect.

* Emotional abuse:

Since emotional abuse often has no visible physical signs, it is

often difficult to recognize and identify. Indicators of emotional

abuse include behavior that is antisocial or indicates apathy,

depression, low self-esteem or hostility.

* Sexual abuse:

The signs and symptoms of sexual abuse are usually not blatant.

The guidelines given here for detection are by no means

comprehensive. They also could indicate other problem areas, but

should be checked out to find if they represent a concern that needs

to be discussed with the child.

Indications of sexual abuse include:

* changes in behavior, extreme mood swings, withdrawal,

fearfulness and excessive crying;

* bed wetting, nightmares, fear of going to bed, or other sleep

disturbances;

* acting out inappropriate sexual behavior or showing an unusual

interest in sexual matters;

* a sudden acting out of feelings or aggressive or rebellious

behavior;

* regression to infantile behavior (such as thumb sucking);

* unusually seductive behavior with classmates, teachers or

others;

* excessive curiosity about sexual matters or genitalia;

* detailed, age-inappropriate understanding of sexual behavior;

* sudden acquisition of money, new clothes or gifts with no

reasonable explanation;

* pain, itching, bleeding, fluid or rawness in the private areas;

* drawings or writings with bizarre sexual themes;

* school problems or significant change in school performance;

* excessive aggression (particularly in boys);

* unexplained fears;

* unusual avoidance to touch; and

* a fear of certain places, people or activities, especially being

alone with certain people.

Children should not be forced to give affection to an adult or

teenager if they do not want to. A desire to avoid this may mean a

problem.

It is important to remember when children report information

related to sexual topics or suspicious activities, they need to be

taken seriously and the issue should be cautiously explored. It may

be a cry for help.

Teach your children that they can protect themselves against

abduction or exploitation. Make your home a place of trust and

support that fulfills your child’s needs -- so that he or she won’t

seek love and support from someone else.

Here are some good information sources:

Childhelp USA-800 4- A-CHILD or www.childhelpusa.org

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (714) 508-0150

Prevent Child Abuse Orange County (714) 258-2272 or www.pcaoc.org

Orange County Child Abuse Registry (714) 940-1000

Or contact me at (714) 481-8312