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Warning
Signs of Possible
Physical/Sexual/Emotional
Abuse
This information has been adapted from
various sources, including National CASA Association,
the State of Idaho (Idaho Department of Health &
Welfare, Family and Children's Services), and others.
You might recognize some or all of
the signs listed below, and there might be other signs we haven't listed. Not all of the signs need to
be present for your situation -- or for your child's situation -- to be dangerous. Besides
the physical danger, your children might be learning either to accept abuse, or perhaps to
be abusive themselves. So if several of these warning signs are familiar to you,
or if your situation makes you at all uncomfortable,
please seek
help immediately. We wish we could guarantee your safety; alas, we cannot.
But the professionals will do everything in their power to keep you and your children
safe.
And if you know of someone who's in
need of intervention, please either encourage that person to get help from a
trained professional -- or if the person is a child, call the police or your state's
protective services. You can do this anonymously (and you should know that, by U.S. law,
anyone who suspects that a child is being abused must report it). Remember, it's hard for
an abused person to leave, or sometimes to even recognize that help is needed. Please
don't turn your back.
Physical
indicators of physical abuse:
 | Baby or child suffers physical symptoms of Shaken Baby
Syndrome (see the Signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome page). If
you see these signs, call 911. The child needs help immediately. |
| Facial injuries (black eyes, broken jaw, bloody or broken
nose, bloody or swollen lips), with implausible, inconsistent or nonexistent explanations) |
| Bruises, welts, bite marks, burns (water, cigarettes, ropes,
or with specific marking, such as with an iron or heater) |
| Subdural hematomas, fractures or lacerations, perhaps in
various stages of healing |
| Bruises on the back, stomach, back of the thighs (not
typically present in normal child play) |
| Suspicious patterns of bruises (parallel or circular
bruises, in shape of human fingers, or several bruises in different stages of healing) |
| Swelling, pain during movement, or unusually restricted
movement |
| Child wears torn, stained or bloody clothing |
| Baby is born with drugs in his/her system |
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Physical
indicators of neglect:
| Non-organic failure to thrive |
| Signs of malnutrition (child is chronically hungry, too
thin, weak, lethargic, and fainting -- and perhaps with a bloated stomach, sunken cheeks,
and skin that's dry and flaking) |
| Developmental delays in speech and/or motor skills. Height
and/or weight is substantially below the norm |
| Inappropriately dressed for weather - either overdressed or
underdressed, missing important articles of clothing |
| Dirty, unkempt, smells bad, squints, poor oral hygiene.
Might have lice, scabies, severe or untreated diaper rash |
| Left alone and/or unattended in inappropriate and/or harmful
ways |
| Lacks proper immunizations |
| Unattended medical conditions (illnesses, sunburns, ear
infections, infected burns, bites or scrapes, broken bones). Note:
If withdrawal or refusal of necessary medical care is considered to be for
"religious" reasons, it might nevertheless constitute a crime or a situation
requiring intervention by the state. |
| Drug and/or alcohol abuse in the home; unhealthy, unsafe,
and/or inadequate living conditions |
| Presence in the home of an abuser and/or child molester. |
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Physical
indicators of sexual abuse:
| Family member, friend, or acquaintance seems unusually
interested in child -- taking child away for trips or activities and/or giving child
gifts. Child might exhibit unusual behavior around this person, and/or begin having
conflicts with parental authority. |
| Sudden acquisition of money, new clothes or gifts with no
reasonable explanation |
| Trauma to the genital area, or complaints of pain around the
genitals |
| Presence of venereal disease, gonococcus, spermatozoa in
children |
| Pregnancy in children |
| Bruises, bleeding, swelling or other discharge from penis,
vagina or anus |
| Consistent complaint of unexplainable abdominal pain,
headaches, sore throats or other physical problems |
| Painful urination, bowel disturbances, enuresis (involuntary
discharge of urine), or fecal soiling |
| Difficulty in walking or sitting |
| Child wears torn, stained or bloody clothing |
| Presence of pornographic material involving child (pictures,
videos, drawings, etc.) |
| Presence in the home of an abuser and/or child molester |
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Behavioral
Indicators of Emotional, Physical or Sexual Abuse:
| Baby lies unusually still while being examined or played
with -- or while surveying surroundings. |
| Baby or child suffers behavioral symptoms of Shaken Baby
Syndrome (see the Signs of Shaken Baby Syndrome page). If
you see these signs, call 911. The child needs help immediately. |
| Child (or adult victim) makes a report about abuse or
harmful activity either directly -- or perhaps indirectly ("I have a friend..."
"What would you say/do if..." "I heard something about somebody....")
to a friend, classmate, teacher, friend's parent, or other trusted adult. |
| Aggressive play and behavior, destructive tendencies,
victimizing others, inappropriate expressions of anger, hostility and rage (often
repressed), ignoring others' boundaries |
| Provocative tendencies (i.e. deliberately elicits
punishment). |
| Inhibited or depressed behavior, withdrawal, despair,
hopelessness, sense of impotence, excessive feeling of vulnerability, crying without
provocation, pessimistic or callous outlook on life, overly compliant behavior |
| Regressive behavior (bedwetting, refusal to speak, thumb
sucking, separation anxiety, baby talk, whining, clinging, rocking, head banging, biting). |
| Behavioral extremes - from aggressive to inhibited |
| Pseudo-mature behavior and appearance -- sexual or
otherwise. |
| Child assumes adult responsibilities and/or reports no
caregiver at home. |
| Sexualized or seductive response toward others (including
molestation of younger or more immature children), confusion or excessive concern about
sexual norms, compulsive sexual behavior (possibly with toys or objects), demeaning or
hurtful sexual activities or habits, viewing sex in persistently negative light (as
dangerous, hurtful, controlling, bad, inappropriate), promiscuous behavior, prostitution,
sexual preoccupation (excessive curiosity), despair regarding inability to control sexual
urges |
| Self-consciousness or self-awareness of body and sexual
behavior beyond that appropriate for age group (expressed through play, drawings, or
stories) |
| Confusion with identity and sense of self |
| Hurtful to animals, small children or other vulnerable
members of society and/or takes pleasure in being hurt. |
| Sleep disorders (insomnia, fearful about falling asleep,
excessive sleeping, sleep-walking, nightmares, restless sleep) |
| Speech disorders or nervous disorders such as stammering,
stuttering, facial tics, rashes, hives, muteness, developmental delays, height or weight
substantially below the norm |
| Complaints of unexplained pains and aches (and/or
unbelievable or inconsistent explanations for injuries). |
| Begging for leftover food and/or collects leftover food |
| Difficulty in walking or sitting |
| Eating disorders (excessive or insufficient food intake) |
| Drug and/or alcohol abuse |
| Suicide gestures or attempts, or homicidal ideation |
| Poor self-image, self-hatred, feelings of shame and guilt,
aversion to own body, self-destructive forms of behavior (alcohol/drug abuse,
self-mutilation/cutting, excessive risk taking), withholding of necessities to self, poor
self-care |
| Poor hygiene or excessive bathing. Fear of undressing and/or
wearing of excessive and perhaps unflattering clothing. |
| Fear of showers, restroom, or other particular place |
| Extraordinary fear of particular gender, person |
| Various phobias, generalized fear and anxiety, depression,
disturbances in memory, multiple personality disorder |
| Social difficulties (inability to trust, teasing or getting
teased, bullying or getting bullied, inability to make and/or keep friends, trouble
communicating with peers), difficulty in forming positive, nonabusive relationships,
increased affection-seeking from adults |
| Lack of participation in sports and social activities |
| School problems: frequent absences, learning difficulties,
difficulty concentrating, significant change in grades and/or attitude,
cognitive/neurological/verbal delays, fear of dressing for physical education classes |
| Fearful of home life -- demonstrated perhaps by arriving at
school early and leaving late, running away, early marriage |
| Delinquent behavior (such as stealing, vandalism, fire
setting, etc.) |
| Unusual behavior around family member, friend, or
acquaintance who seems unusually interested in child -- taking child away for trips or
activities and/or giving child gifts. Child might begin having conflicts with parental
authority. |
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