sexual abuse symptoms in children

Suspect sexual abuse when a child:
• is withdrawn and appears sad;
• shows sexualised play or behaviour, such as touching and playing
with her sexual parts in public;
• knows more about sex than you would expect;
• starts bed-wetting or soiling after having achieved control;
• performs poorly in school;
• is over-friendly with adults in a manner that was not usual for her;
• attempts suicide;
• is fearful of adults in her family for no clear reason;
• does not trust others;
• starts misusing alcohol or drugs;
• has repeated urine infections, pain while passing urine or other
infections or inflammation of the sexual organs.