Signs of Child Abuse
There are signs that abuse has taken place both in the child and in the abuser where this person is a parent or carer. These can include:
Neglect
Child physical indicators include:
- consistent hunger, poor hygiene, inappropriate dress, chronically unclean
- consistent lack of supervision, especially in dangerous activities, for long periods
- unattended physical problems, medical or dental needs
- often tired or listless
- abandonment
- underweight
- developmental delays
- flat bald spots on infant’s head.
Child behavioural indicators include:
- begging or stealing food
- extended stays in school
- attendance at school infrequent
- substance abuse
- states there is no carer or parent.
Carer behavioural indicators include:
- disorganised, chaotic and upsetting home life
- feels apathetic and that nothing will change
- isolated from friends, relatives, neighbours
- cannot be found
- expects too much of the child
- substance abuse
- exposes the child to unsafe living conditions.
Emotional Abuse
Child physical indicators include:
- speech disorders
- lags in physical development or failure to thrive
- attempted suicide.
Child behaviour indicators include:
- habit disorders (sucking, rocking, biting etc)
- low self-esteem
- difficulty forming positive relationships
- inability to trust
- toileting problems
- neurotic traits (sleep disorders, inhibition of play etc)
- behavioural extremes (compliant, passive, shy, aggressive, demanding)
- overly adaptive behaviour (inappropriately infantile)
- apathetic
- withdrawn
- reports emotional maltreatment.
Carer behavioural indicators include:
- treating children in family unequally
- does not appear to care much about the child’s problems
- blames or belittles the child
- is cold or rejecting
- withholds love
- finds nothing good or attractive in the child
- demonstrates inconsistent behaviour toward the child.
Physical Abuse
Child physical indicators include:
- unexplained welts and bruises
- unexplained burns
- unexplained fractures
- unexplained lacerations or abrasions
- head injuries
- human bite marks
- premature loss of teeth.
Child behavioural indicators include:
- verbally reports abuse
- wary of adults and adult contact
- consistent anger, aggression, hyperactivity
- behavioural extremes
- role reversal (such as the child pretending to be an abusive parent)
- developmental lags
- appears frightened of carer
- apprehensive when other children cry
- wears clothes over injuries
- seeks affection from any adult with no discrimination
- non-expression of needs
- non-communicative.
Carer behavioural indicators include:
- frequent visits with their child or children to health or other services with unexplained or suspicious injuries, swallowing of non-food substances or with internal complaints
- explanation of injury offered by the parent is not consistent with the injury
- family history of violence
- history of their own maltreatment as a child
- fears injuring their child
- uses excessive discipline.
Sexual Abuse
Child physical indicators include:
- difficulty walking or sitting
- torn, stained or bloody underclothing
- pain or itching in genital area
- bruises or bleeding around the genital area
- venereal disease (especially in pre-teens)
- pregnancy
- other physical signs that a medical practitioner may identify
- recurrent urinary tract infections.
Child behavioural indicators include:
- aggressive, overt sexual behaviour
- drawing pictures of people with genitals
- cruelty to animals without physiological basis
- pre-mature knowledge of explicit sexual acts
- sleep disorders
- taking frequent baths or showers
- starting fires
- poor peer relations
- wary of physical contact, especially with an adult
- onset of bedwetting, nightmares or thumb sucking
- reports of sexual abuse
- self inflicted injury
- discloses online sexual behaviour as a result of online grooming or coercion
Carer behavioural indicators include:
- very protective or jealous of child
- extremely protective of family privacy
- does not allow child to be involved in extra-curricular activities
- encourages child to engage in prostitution
- substance abuse
- geographically isolated and/or lacking in social and emotional contacts outside the family, and low self-esteem.
Remember:
- Offenders are usually very ordinary people who could come from any background
- Offenders hold many different positions in the community and are often well respected
- Most children or young people who are victims of sexual abuse do not disclose at the time and many never do. Disclosures may be delayed weeks, months or years after the abuse began
- Most cases of child or young person sexual abuse are disclosed accidentally, where the victim behaves or makes a comment that alerted someone.
- Offenders use grooming behaviour in order to have later sexual contact with the child.