Unfortunately, there is no one behavior alone that definitely determines a child has been sexually abused. Sadly, some childhoods are lost forever. Silence enables sexual abuse to continue. Silence protects sexual offenders and hurts children who are being abused. Sexual abuse is an extremely difficult and damaging experience.
Today there are many resources to help victims and their families.
Children no longer need to suffer in silence. No one can ever regain the childhood years they lost to sexual abuse or incest. So children and teens need to know about sexual abuse in order to increase their awareness and coping skills. Without frightening children and teens, we need to provide them with appropriate safety information and support at every stage of their development. Even the best educated child or teenager cannot always avoid sexual abuse, children who are well prepared will be more likely to tell if abuse has occurred.