Children whom you suspect to be victims of abuse, who spend a great deal of time at a friends house, or at school, or at another relatives house, may be searching for a solid excuse not to be at home. For instance, it is very common for a child, especially, to protect their abuser with the excuses the abuser gave the child. Any child who feels they are deserving to be victimized is underfoot of an abuser who is manipulating them into believing they are worth less than they are. And that they're feelings aren't as important as the feelings of the abuser. Well, in a lot of cases victims remain silent because of fear.
Children are gullible.
If a child believes they deserved to be abused, think of the other things an abuser can get children to believe. It not only put the child in a false position of control, by giving them the power to forgive or not to forgive, but it also intimidates them into not telling anyone of the abuse because not only will they be ashamed in front of someone else, they will theoretically be punished by losing a parent while at the same time defying the abusive parent and making that parent angry. So in the end the children would rather take their chances that the apology meant something than to disobey the abuser because it's a huge risk to them if they don't , as a victim. If you know of a child who is in an abusive situation, or has been abused, please don't hesitate to make the call for them. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially for a child who's counting on you to speak out for them because they can't do it themselves.