Sexual abuse can make children appear to be emotionally deadened because the struggle with the unwanted sexual actions can simply hurt them too much emotionally.
Behaviors and attitudes can become more calloused and hardened. Should the abuse continue for a long period of time, as the victim gets older they can develop the opposite of this behavior. It is common for children who have endured trauma to be characterized by excessive crying and being easily moved to tears. Tearfulness, crying, detachment, or apathy Possible signs of abuse in teenagers and even older adolescents include wearing dark clothing, experimenting with cutting (and other forms of self-harm), and excessive amounts of piercings or tattoos. Additionally, they are (depending on the severity, frequency, and duration) more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and to make actual attempts at suicide. These reoccurring thoughts can make it tough to think of anything else besides the abuse.Ĭhildren who have been the victims of sexual abuse can often show symptoms of depression. The sexual assault can overwhelm their thoughts, making it hard to focus while at school or to feel motivated to do school work. Bad dreams and fear of the dark are also common in those abused.įlashbacks involving strong memories of the abuse can occur unexpectedly. Difficulty falling asleep and/or remaining asleep can leave them overly tired the following day. Related to the above symptom, abused children will often have interrupted sleep or difficulty sleeping.
Triggers include (but are not limited to) such things as sights, smells, movies, and songs, or people who resemble, behave like or remind them in some way of the offender.īad sleep, nightmares, flashbacks, and continual memories of the assault Heightened sensations of panic, anxiety, and stress are a few of the symptoms that victims of abuse can experience after the trauma occurs from various stimuli, caused by emotional “triggers”. Abused children often display these exact symptoms and disturbances. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was first identified by professionals when war veterans returning from combat were undergoing overwhelming fear, panic, anxiety, and stress related to the trauma of combat. They may also sleep with some sort of weapon next to them or under their pillow to defend themselves if necessary. They may possibly sleep with their backs to the door, or insist on checking to make sure that everything is locked up tight. Victims of sexual abuse can be hyper-focused on making sure they feel safe and protected. As evening and the time for bed, this fear normally intensifies. They can gradually become hyper-vigilant, continually on the alert for threats. If your child is normally chatty, and suddenly turns reserved, it is time to take notice of the reason for this change.Īmong the most obvious signs that a child has been abused is fear. Children who have suffered from abuse will often manifest combinations of any of the following symptoms: Behavioral changes can often be attributed to sexual abuse. It is important to pay attention to patterns in a child’s behavior to identify the presence of sexual abuse. It is imperative to teach a child that if they ever sense something is wrong, regardless of how old the person, they should pay attention to their instincts and immediately cease contact with that person.
Sex offenders identified as having a high risk of offense, or Level 3, can be children as young as ten. Inappropriate sexual behavior can be seen in children as young as eight. They can be of young age or old, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and rich or poor. Sexual perpetrators come from all walks of life.
Below is a list of other characteristics of a sexual perpetrator, their behavior, and the victims of sexual abuse. Taking advantage of the public records of local law enforcement is a good place to start to locate sexual perpetrators that live in your area. Knowing that sexual perpetrators live in your neighborhood could, and should, be an eye-opener to any parent. Not only is sexual abuse traumatic for victims, but for parents, educators, and caregivers sexual abuse is their worst nightmare.