Indicators of Sexual Abuse

There may be physical indicators that a child is being sexually abused. Some examples of this are:

• Torn, stained or bloody underclothing
• Bruises, lacerations, redness, swelling or bleeding in genital, vaginal or anal area
• Blood in urine or faeces
• Sexually transmitted disease
• Unusual or excessive itching or pain in the genital or anal area

There may also be indicators in a child’s behaviour that could indicate sexual abuse.

Some examples of this in young children are:

• Age-inappropriate sexual play with toys, self, others
• Bizarre, sophisticated or unusual sexual knowledge
• Comments such as “I’ve got a secret”, or “I don’t like Uncle”
• Fire lighting by boys
• Fear of certain places eg bedroom or bathroom

Some examples of this in older children are:

• Eating disorders
• Promiscuity or prostitution
• Uses younger children in sexual acts
• Tries to make self as unattractive as possible

There may be indicators in adult behaviour that could indicate sexual abuse. Some examples of this are:

• May be unusually over-protective of a child
• Is jealous of a child’s relationships with peers or other adults or is controlling of the child
• May favour the victim over other children
• Demonstrates physical contact or affection to a child which appears sexual in nature or has sexual overtones

More details and examples of indicators of sexual abuse are available in the book 'How Can I Tell?'.  You can view 'How Can I Tell?' online or you can order copies of 'How Can I Tell?' through our shop.