Child Sexual Abuse – Signs to Look For

Signs in Offenders

• Makes you or children feel uncomfortable by lack of respect for boundaries
• Engages in excessive physical contact with children
• Spends more time with children than adults his/her own age
• Spends excessive time emailing and text messaging with children
• Is unusually aware of kid trends, terminology, computer games, and music
• Overly interested in the sexuality or developing body of pre-teens and teens
• Arranges to spend uninterrupted time with kids
• Is “Great with the kids!” or “Too good to be true!”
• Showers kids with gifts, treats, special outings
• Let’s kids break the rules or get away with inappropriate behavior
• Asks kids to keep secrets

Signs in Children

• Physical Signs
  • Evidence of physical trauma to the genital or anal areas
  • Complaints of pain during urination or bowel movements
  • Exhibiting symptoms of genital or urinary tract infections or STDs such as offensive odor, redness, rashes or burning
  • Self mutilation (puncturing with pins or cutting)
  • Health issues associated with anxiety such as chronic stomach pain or headaches
• Emotional or behavior signs
  • Aggressive behavior towards friends and family
  • Withdrawal from friends, family or activities they previously enjoyed
  • Anxiety or panic attacks
  • Phobias
  • Fear of certain people, places or activities
  • Excessive sadness or depression
  • Decreased school performance
  • Eating disorders, loss of appetite, gagging
  • Sleep disturbances, nightmares, screaming, sweating
  • Regressive behaviors, bed wetting, separation anxiety
  • Numbing pain with drugs, alcohol or cutting
  • Need to be perfect
• Sexual signs
  • Increased questions about human sexuality
  • Excessive masturbation
  • Increased sexual play with friends, pets, toys
  • Talking about or acting out specific adult sexual acts
  • Increased choice of sexually revealing clothing
  • Signs of promiscuity

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