Warning Signs of Sexual Abuse

Many factors keep a child from telling anyone about being sexually abused. The offender tells the child to keep the behavior a secret. The child may lack the proper vocabulary to discuss the abuse. The child may fear no one will believe them.

If your child tells you they have been sexually abused, believe them. Children rarely invent stories about abuse. Assure them that they were right to tell you.

Next, seek help. Talk to your pastor, your doctor, or a Lutheran Family Services counselor. Sexual abuse victimizes vulnerable people. No child or adult 'asks for it.' Many abusers were themselves victims and are acting out of their own experience. The vicious cycle of abuse is only stopped by identifying it a nd dealing with it.

Your child needs protection and intervention if you suspect sexual abuse. Professional help and loving support can help your child through recovery from abuse with hope for a brighter life.

Warning signs of sexual abuse:

• The child's behavior suddenly changes (ex. bedwetting, nightmares or discipline problems)
• The child is reluctant to go to a particular place or be with a particular person, even though previous visits have caused no distress
• The child is depressed, weepy, refuses to get up in the morning, or has a bleak outlook
• The child uses sexual vocabulary he or she is too young to understand
• The child teaches sexual games to other children
• The child constantly needs reassurance
• The child experiences a loss of or sudden gain in appetite
• The child turns against one parent
• Older children may be truant, abuse drugs, be delinquent, or run away from home.

If one or more of these statements describes your child's behavior, consider talking with a counselor at one of Lutheran Family Services' office locations.