There are lots of warning signs of abuse taking place with children. Some signs do not necessarily mean anything and a brief work with the parents can resolve the matter quickly. If you are extremely worried about sexual abuse taking place you must immediately inform the relevant authorities. Sexual abuse can be suspected based on physical signs, some of the signs to look out for are: sexual knowledge that is unusual for the age of the child, precocious behaviour, and sexualized play with other children including kissing on the mouth, hints of sexual activity through play, drawing or conversation, redness, soreness, bleeding around the genitals, difficulty walking or sitting.

Neglect includes poor physical care and attention to the child’s basic needs, poor hygiene including dirty hair, body odour, and unwashed, dirty clothes, constant hunger, always asking for food, behaviour such as head banging or rocking. Sometimes weight loss or failure to gain weight can indicate neglect.

Emotional abuse can be difficult to identify some of the symptoms are very low self-esteem, apathy, withdrawn and socially isolated. Abused children often become quite but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are being abused.

Physical abuse systems can include bruises (back of the leg, abdomen) bite marks (around Inner thighs), burns scalds, fractures to the skull. Any fractures in a child under one year should be treated as suspicious as it is very rare for a child that age to sustain fractures accidentally.