You have the ability to make a difference. Your voice and actions matter. You are not being a nosy neighbor. You are not overreacting. Your action may save a child’s life. Anyone who suspects that a child is being abused is required by law to report the abuse.
Consider these facts: Statistics show that 1 in 10 children are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. What’s worse, only a third of these crimes are ever reported.
Look for the Signs
There are often certain recognizable physical and behavioral signals of child abuse or neglect:
- Nightmares, sleep problems, extreme fears without an obvious explanation;
- Sudden or unexplained personality changes;
- An older child behaving like a younger child (for example, bedwetting or thumb sucking);
- Develops fear of certain places or resists being alone with an adult or young person for unknown causes;
- Shows resistance to routine bathing or removing clothes even in appropriate situations;
- Play, writing, drawings or dreams of sexual or frightening images;
- Refuses to talk about a secret he or she has with an adult or older child;
- Stomach aches or illness, often with no identifiable reason;
- Uses new or adult words for body parts;
- Engages in adult-like sexual activities with toys, objects or other children;
- Develops special relationship with older friends that may include unexplained money, gifts or privileges;
- Develops physical symptoms such as unexplained soreness, pain or bruises around genitalia or mouth.
Sourced from: Stop It Now!