Physical Indicators
 

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 Following are the sexual indicators:

  • Itching, soreness, discharge or unexplained bleeding in the genital area.

  • Recurrent urinary tract infections.

  • Sexually transmitted diseases.

  • Pregnancy.

  • Bruises, bite marks or other injuries to breasts, buttocks, lower abdomen or thighs

  • Powerlessness: Due to the imbalanced power dynamics of sexual abuse tilted in favor of the abuser, the child experiences a sense of powerlessness. A sense of powerlessness induces both perceptions of vulnerability and a desire to control. Consequent behavior may involve aggression and exploitation of others. Similarly, the victim may also exhibit the effects of vulnerability by avoidant responses, such as running away, anxiety, sleeping and eating problems.
     

 

Apart from these behavioral and physical indications there are some sexual indicators as well. If these are found in the child then there is a high-probability of the child being or having been sexually abused since these represent precocious sexual knowledge not ordinarily possessed by young children. (Kathleen Coulborn Faller, Child Sexual Abuse: Intervention and Treatment issues, 1993, p.25)
 

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