Child Sexual Abuse

Alternate Names : Child Molestation

How is the injury recognized?

An abuser can make the child very fearful of telling anyone else. An adult should believe a child who says he or she has been sexually abused. Children rarely lie about sexual abuse.

When sexual abuse is suspected, the child should be taken to a healthcare provider who is trained to deal with and recognize sexual abuse. He or she will ask the child to describe what happened. He or she also will look for injuries to the mouth, rectum, and vaginal area, if the child is a girl. If the abuse took place recently, the healthcare provider will do a special examination to check for sperm. Child protective services need to be notified.