Those who sexually violate children are criminals because a child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity. If convicted of child sexual abuse, the abused may face lengthy prison sentences, hefty fines, and may have to register as sex offenders.

Child sexual abuse includes one or more of the following behaviors:

• Actions involving masturbation
• Digital interaction such as sending obscene photos via text
• Exposing oneself to a minor
• Fondling
• Pornographic images or video of children
• Sexual intercourse
• Sex trafficking

Predators prey upon the vulnerability of their victims. They often manipulate them into not reporting the abuse. If you suspect your child is acting differently due to possible sexual abuse, watch for these interpretive signs:

Acting out: A child tries to run away or attempts self-harm. 

Changes in the genital area: Symptoms include difficulty walking, painful urination, yeast infections, and fear of physical contact. In essence, your once loving child is now afraid to give and receive hugs.

Declining hygiene: The child refuses to bathe or wear clean clothes.

Children who are victims of sexual abuse struggle with high-risk behaviors, including delinquency, substance abuse, or sexual promiscuity. Spend quality time with your child to help you determine why he or she is developing distinct habits and what is forcing the changes. 

The effects of child sexual abuse can be traumatic. Victims may experience life-long impacts due to the injustices associated with sexual abuse. It is not unusual for these victims to:

• Become aggressive, physically or verbally
• Block the suffering from their memories
• Develop addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other negative habits
• Exhibit signs of post-traumatic stress disorder
• Experience insomnia or depression
• Have recurring trust issues
• Require ongoing therapy to work through the trauma

The examples above are some of the many ways that child sexual abuse can impact a child, even into adulthood. Many of these lasting consequences of abuse have a severe impact on the victim’s quality of life. It can also affect their potential to gain employment or maintain a job. The victim could also incur significant financial expenses for ongoing treatment or addiction counseling.

Just like child sexual cases, a child bullied at home, in school, or online can have long-lasting detrimental effects on the child. Worse, a frequently bullied child is more likely to commit suicide. For this reason alone, it is essential to stop the bullying before it gets worse. There are three prevalent types of bullying:

1. Verbal bullying includes teasing, name-calling, taunting, inappropriate sexual comments, or threats of harm spoken verbally or in writing.
2. Social bullying includes spreading rumors, purposely leaving someone out, embarrassing someone publicly, or telling one child not to be friends with another.
3. Physical bullying includes tripping, spitting, striking, kicking, or taking or breaking someone’s belongings. It can also include rude hand gestures.