Kaye Healey, Sexual Abuse, The Spinney Press 1996, p. 3.

PHYSICAL INDICATORS

Genital and Anal Areas

- Bruises, scratches or other injuries not consistent with accidental injury.

- Itching, soreness, discharge or unexplained bleeding.

- Painful and frequent urination.

- Signs of sexually transmitted infections.

- Semen in the vagina, anus or external genitalia or on clothing.

General

- Bruises, bite marks or other injuries, buttocks, lower abdomen or thighs.

- Difficulty walking or sitting.

- Torn, stained or bloodied underwear.

- Pregnancy in adolescents where the identity of the father is vague or secret.

- Recurrent urinary tract infections.

- Persistent headaches or recurrent abdominal pain.

- Unexplained pain in the genital area.

BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS

Sexual

- Over attention to adults of a particular sex.

- Displaying unusual interest in the genitals of others and self.

- Acting out adult sexual behaviour with adults, dolls or other children.

- Open display of sexuality, e.g. repeated public masturbation.

- Precocious knowledge of sexual matters.

- Promiscuity, repetitious sexually precocious behaviour.

General

- Sudden changes in mood behaviour.

- Difficulty sleeping, nightmares.

- Regressed behaviour – bed-wetting, separation anxiety, insecurity.

- Change in eating patterns including preoccupation with food.

- Lack of trust in familiar adults, fear of strangers, fear of men.

- Lack of appropriate boundaries in family – child fulfils parental role.

- Acting out behaviour – aggression, lying, stealing, unexplained running away, drug or
alcohol abuse, suicide attempts.

- Withdrawn behaviour – passivity, excessive compliance, mood swings, depression.

- Learning problems at school, loss of concentration, unexplained drop in school
performance.

- Poor peer relationships, family and/or child appear socially isolated.

- Reluctance to undress, e.g. for school sporting functions.

- Excessive bathing.

- Inappropriate displays of affection.

Related Articles:

• The Parents Poem (Robert Bly)
• Gay man opposes gay marriage
• Being a Pastor Doesn’t Automatically Make You a Sex Therapist
• Is the Men’s Movement Dead?
• Making a Will

This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.