When someone involves a child in a sexual activity by using their power over them or taking advantage of their trust.
Child Indicators
- Difficulty in walking or sitting
- Torn, stained or bloody underclothing
- Pain or itching in genital area
- Bruises or bleeding in external genitalia
- Venereal disease (especially in pre-teens)
- Pregnancy
- Foreign matter in bladder, rectum or urethra
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Aggressive, overt sexual behaviour
- Drawing pictures of people with genitals
- Cruelty to animals without physiological basis
- Pre-mature knowledge of explicit sexual acts
- Sleep disorders
- Taking frequent baths
- Starting fires
- Poor peer relationships
- Wary of physical contact, especially with an adult
Carer Indicators
- Very protective or jealous of child
- Extremely protective of family privacy
- Encourages child to engage in prostitution
- Substance abuser
- Is geographically isolated
- Lacks social/emotional contacts outside the family
- Has low self-esteem