Signs of Child Abuse

Child abuse does not discriminate. It happens in every culture, class, and community. It might be happening to your child or affecting your child’s best friend or teammate. When you notice one or more of these signs, you may be unsure if abuse is occurring. Children may exhibit these signs but not be victims, or they may be victims without clearly identifiable signs. If you suspect abuse, you should think critically about what else you know or have observed about the family.

If you have a concern about a child from a different culture than your own or who belongs to a community that you don’t understand well, consider whether the concern relates to parenting practices and personal beliefs that may be different from your own, but are not necessarily abuse. Remember, families struggling with poverty are often safe and loving. Thank you for your care in understanding how to detect abuse. Your actions today are part of the solution.

signs of abuse

Disclosure

1/10

Disclosure

1/10

Children may make statements that cause you to believe they are victims of abuse. These may be clear disclosures of abuse like, “she touched my private area when I said ‘no.’” They may also be less clear, like a child who fears being alone with a certain person, or who talks about being unsupervised when they are developmentally unable to care for themselves.

Unexplained injuries

2/10

Visible signs of physical abuse may include unexplained burns or bruises in the shape of objects or an injury in a suspicious location. You may also hear unconvincing or contradictory explanations of a child’s injuries. The family’s response to an injury, and generally, how they address medical, dental, and vision needs, are factors to consider as well.

Changes in behavior

3/10

Abuse can lead to sudden and/or many changes in a child’s behavior. Children who have been abused may appear scared, anxious, depressed, withdrawn, or more aggressive. Some children may engage in self-harm. Other non-abuse factors can also cause sudden changes in behavior. However, noticing this sign will alert you to check in with the child or their family, and/or encourage another safe person to reach out.

Returning to earlier behaviors

4/10

Children who have been abused may display behaviors shown at earlier ages, such as thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, or fear of the dark or strangers. For some children, even loss of acquired language or memory problems may occur.

Fear of going home or other places

5/10

Children who have been abused may express apprehension or anxiety about leaving school or about going places with the person who is abusing them. Children expressing discomfort being alone with someone could be an indicator that they don’t feel safe around this person.

Changes in eating

6/10

The stress, fear, and anxiety caused by abuse can lead to changes in a child’s eating behaviors. If a child has gained or lost weight, and there is no identifiable reason, e.g. medication changes, life events, social pressure, or others, this may be a sign that abuse has occurred.

Changes in sleeping

7/10

Children who have been abused may have frequent nightmares or have difficulty falling asleep. As a result, they may have a pattern of extreme tiredness or fatigue. Some sleeping changes occur naturally or may be unrelated to abuse.

Changes in school performance and attendance

8/10

Children who have been abused may have difficulty concentrating in school or have excessive absences, sometimes due to adults trying to hide the child’s injuries from authorities. Children are also abused by other children, which may impact how they experience and perform at school.

Lack of personal care or hygiene

9/10

Abused and neglected children may appear uncared for. They may present as consistently dirty and have severe body odor, or they may lack sufficient clothing for the weather. They may lack basic medical, dental, and vision care. This sign may be related to poverty rather than abuse, so think critically about what else you know or have observed from the family.

Inappropriate sexual behaviors

10/10

Children who have been sexually abused may exhibit overly sexualized behavior or use explicit sexual language that is developmentally inappropriate for their age. They may discuss sexual acts or behaviors as a result of abuse or exposure to inappropriate material, sometimes related to the stages of grooming.

Suspect abuse?

how to report

Continue your training

The more you train yourself to spot the signs, the safer children will be. OCAS offers a range of training services for residents energized to respond to child abuse in Oregon. Trainings provide the right tools, know-how, and confidence you will need to make a difference in a child’s life.

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