Signs of sexual abuse (for kids)
Sexual abuse of a kid happens more often than it should and it happens to a LOT of kids. Kids are usually afraid to talk about it or tell anyone. There are some signs you can look for though. If you see a person that shows only 1 or 2 of these signs then that may be OK but if they show a lot of these signs then something might be wrong and you should talk to them or tell someone else about it so they can help the kid out.
Take all of these signs into account before taking action.
A child might be being sexually abused if the child:
- has trouble sitting down or walking (because they are sore or hurting)
- does not want to change their clothes in front of the other kids
- has nightmares, bad dreams, or wets the bed when the get older
- doesn’t want to eat
- knows more about sex than they should for their age
- gets pregnant when they are really young
- runs away from home a lot
A grownup might be sexually abusing a kid if they:
- are way too protective of the kid and won’t let the kid talk to other kids
- are depressed, sad, or angry all the time
- try to keep secrets and stay by themselves
- scream at other people in the family or boss them around a lot
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