How to recognize if a child is in danger
Always keep your eyes and ears open for signs of abuse, listed below.
If something is wrong, you may SEE a sudden change in your child’s behavior, or you may hear unusual comments.
If you SEE or hear these things, follow up. Find a relaxed time to talk with your child, asking them about your concerns.
Here are some signs to look for:
- Unkempt or malnourished appearance
- Unexplained bruises, welts, or burns
- Disturbed sleeping or eating patterns
- Abrupt changes in behavior, anxiety, clinging, aggressiveness, or withdrawal
- Sexually transmitted diseases & infections
- Discomfort with physical contact
- Fear of a certain person or place
- Fearfulness or depression
How to recognize if an adult is a danger to a child
Offenders often operate through a process called “grooming.” Child grooming is the deliberate process of gradually initiating and maintaining a sexual relationship with victims in secrecy. Grooming allows offenders to slowly overcome boundaries long before sexual abuse occurs. On the surface, grooming a child can look like a close relationship between the offending adult, the targeted child, and (potentially) the child’s caregivers. The grooming process is often misleading because the offender may be well-known or highly regarded in the community. As a result, it’s easy to trust them.
Examples of red flag behaviors:
- Pressing boundaries or breaking the rules to give a child special attention
- Giving inappropriate physical affection
- Sympathetic listening that starts to build barriers between a child and their parents or friends
- Offers to help the family in order to gain alone time with a child
- Gaining access to a child via the internet
