They may also be terrified by threats made by the person committing the assault which were intended to make them keep quiet. The molester may reinforce the sense of guilt which the child often feels at having provoked him sexually. But the children's own suffering is sufficient in itself to explain their silence. It is often difficult for children to put into words events which shocked them and which they did not understand. The sense of injury to the self is in some cases too great for children to be able to speak about what they have experienced.
Children frequently deny and completely repress situations of abuse which they have experienced.
Sexual abuse may produce a certain number of manifestations in the child. However, caution is advised here, since the presence of a particular symptom does not necessarily indicate that sexual abuse has occurred. Some even slide into prostitution. Above all, sudden changes in behaviour should alert those close to the child to the fact that something is wrong. Contrary to the image generated by various news stories in the media, the abusing paedophile seldom resembles a monster who abducts, rapes and kills children.