Most children dont report abuse, so parents need to understand abuse based on childrens behavioural changes.
No one behaviour alone determines that a child has been sexually abused; it could be a combination of many. Some of the behavioural changes that children elicit after undergoing sexual abuse are as follows:
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· Social Withdrawal |
· Repeated urinary infections |
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· Hostility or aggression |
· Unexplained pain swelling in genital area |
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· Passive or overly pleasing behaviour |
· Hints, indirect comments about the abuse |
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· Drop in academic performance |
· Use of abusive sexual language |
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· Eating disorders, anxiety, depression |
· Sexualized behaviour |
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· Suicide attempts |
· Sexual activity at an early age |
Important: These behavioural changes MAY be indicative of sexual abuse, but are NOT necessarily a result of sexual abuse, there could be other factors as well.