Early signs of sexual abuse & encourage disclosure.

Early signs of sexual abuse & encourage disclosure. 

The early signs of incest and abuse go undetected because either the child is not being able to share the abuse that he or she is experiencing or cannot verbalize it for one reason or another. Research data suggests that up to 40% of sexual abuse victims exhibit no or minimal signs/symptoms  

Following are some of the important signs of sexual abuse and incest. If any three or more signs or more than three signs are observed in a child, the matter should be thoroughly investigated and the child should be kept in observation.

1. Age inappropriate Knowledge as a sign of sexual abuse

If the child starts showing signs of age-inappropriate sexual knowledge or behaviors, there is a good chance that the child is exposed to something from where he/she picked it up.

2. Mimicking sexual behaviors while playing with toys

If the child is mimicking sexual behaviors, for example, placing one doll on another, undressing toys & exposing their private parts, inserting or rubbing toys in/with their genitalia, etc, there is a chance that the child is either going through grooming stage or has already started experiencing sexual abuse.

3. Sexual behaviors towards other children

A child may be vulnerable or exposed to sexual abuse if he or she is exhibiting sexual behaviors towards other children and showing no respect towards directions of maintaining respect for personal boundaries. Ignoring instructions and directions and no corrective measures seem to be effective. 

4. Touching/Rubbing their own genitalia 

Sexualizing a child is another factor that an abuser uses to prepare a child for sexual abuse. If a child shows these signs, it's important to inquire and observe from where she/he might have picked these behaviors. 

5. Physical signs of possible sexual abuse

While there could be varied physical and medical symptoms that a victim of sexual abuse might exhibit, however, the most common ones are: Pain, itching, redness, or bleeding in the genital areas, regular loose stomach, uncontrolled bowel movement, frequent wetting of the bed, unexplained bruises on knees and ankles, etc. 

6. Psychological signs of possible sexual abuse

A child might be fighting to deal with the after-shocks of sexual abuse if she/he is exhibiting sudden mood swings, such as rage, fear, anger, crying to excess, or withdrawal, self-isolation, un-explained hatred towards the certain individual(s), a sudden drop of performance in school or sports, 

It is very difficult for children to explicitly speak of what they might have been going through, but they do have their own ways through which they do give out implicit signals with a hope that their parents/guardians will understand. 

To understand how an abuser might groom a child before the cycle of abuse starts, please read this article...