Lisa Dunning, Marriage & Family Therapist
Parent / Child Relationship Specialist

Signs of Child Sexual Abuse
by Lisa Dunning, MA, MFT

Many families do not want to believe their child is being sexually abused even if the signs of child sexual abuse are staring them straight in the face. Unfortunately many families are in a similar situation where both parents are working full time and someone other than the biological parents are caring for their children. Under these circumstances the potential for child sexual abuse is more prevalent. Obviously under these circumstances it is tremendously important for parents to watch for the signs of child sexual abuse.

Some common signs of child sexual abuse are:

Do Not Ignore The Signs of Child Sexual Abuse

Many families ignore the signs of child sexual abuse believing their child was safe because someone they knew always watched their children. Unfortunately, studies of child sexual abuse have shown that children were most often abused by people they knew. It is important that you take these signs of child sexual abuse seriously so you could stop any further abuse.

Get Professional Help if your Child Exhibits the Signs of Child Sexual Abuse

If your child is exhibiting any or all of the signs of child sexual abuse take your child to your family doctor for a medical exam. You might also want to seek counseling with a professional who has experience with child sexual abuse. Both the medical doctor and the psychological professional should be able to determine definitively whether anything sexually inappropriate has occurred.

Many children who exhibit the signs of child sexual abuse feel like they have done something wrong.

Support your child and reassure them that they were the innocent victims. By taking the signs of child sexual abuse seriously and with your support and encouragement, your child will eventually emotionally heal from this abuse. Your child will also learn how much you trust and support them. 

Any of these articles by Lisa Dunning, Family Therapist may be re-published in hardcopy (magazines, newsletters or newspapers) or electronic format in websites, ezines or electronic newsletters provided the following resource box is included at the end of the article with a link to the URL