What are the Signs of Child Sexual Abuse?

Behavioural Indicators of Child Sexual Abuse

The following changes of behaviour could potentially suggest that a child is the victim of sexual abuse.

• Avoiding any type of physical contact
• Refusing to get undressed or change clothes in front of other people
• Sexual knowledge or activity that wouldn’t be expected from a child of that age
• Nightmares
• Difficulty sleeping
• Wetting the bed
• Running away from home
• Alcohol or drug misuse
• Changes in eating behaviour
• Fear of people they don’t know, and a reluctance to be alone with them

Physical Indicators of Child Sexual Abuse

• Bruises
• Bleeding, pain or itching around the genitals
• Pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections

A child may also be abused online, which may be reflected in their behaviour. For instance, they may:

• Be unwilling to tell others about their online activity
• Be secretive about who they’re talking to on their mobile phone
• Start spending much more time on social media, playing online games, texting or browsing the internet
• Significantly reduce their amount of online and wider digital activity

Who is at Risk of Child Sexual Abuse?

Any child can be subject to sexual abuse, and in many of the cases which our Abuse Solicitors deal with, the child is abused by a person known to them. For example:

• A member of the family
• A family friend
• An adult in a position of trust, such as a teacher
• A foster carer

According to official figures, 9 out of 10 children know or are related to their abuser, while 80% of child sex abuse occur either where the child lives or in the abuser's home.

However, there may be cases, particularly when it comes to online child abuse, where it could be a complete stranger trying to establish a relationship with a youngster through social media, a web forum or chatroom.

In many child abuse cases, the victim of sexual abuse may already being going through some difficulties at home, such as neglect, this can work to an abuser’s advantage as the child may not be adequately supervised or get enough attention, or they may be less likely to be believed if they ever speak out about the abuse.

Children with disabilities, meanwhile, are 3 times more likely to be victims of sexual abuse, particularly if they have speech or language difficulties.