Sexual abuse is not a form of negligence. It doesn't occur because the perpetrator made a mistake or failed to pay enough attention to the children in their care. Instead, sexual abuse is an intentional, deplorable act, and should never happen.
What Is Considered Sexual Abuse of Children?
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, or RAINN, child sexual abuse is a form of physical, psychological, and sexual wrongdoing that involves sexual activity with a minor. A child can't consent to sexual activity, so this causes significant harm. Unfortunately, RAINN reports that more than 90 percent of children who suffer this horrendous crime know their abusers.
It's critical to know the many types of sexual abuse so you can understand if something happened to a child while in the care of another person:
- Touching of the genitals or breasts
- Exhibitionism, or exposing oneself to someone underage
- Forcing a child to masturbate or doing so in front of a minor
- Forcing or allowing a child to watch a sexual act
- Obscene texts or phone calls
- Exposing a child to sexual videos, images, or games
- Intercourse or sex of any kind
- Any sexual conduct that threatens a minor's physical, emotional, or mental welfare
Signs of Sexual Abuse
You may not know immediately if your child suffered sexual abuse. But, there are numerous physical and emotional signs that can indicate your child was victimized:
- Swelling, bruises, or bleeding in or around the genitals
- Pain when sitting or walking
- Itching, burning, or pain in the genital area
- Resists or seems fearful of physical contact
- Unusual emotional outbursts
- Changes in sleep patterns
- A return to regressive behavior such as bedwetting or thumb-sucking
- Unusual language, knowledge of, or interest in sexual topics
- Nightmares
- Refusal to bathe or bathing too much
While these behaviors could potentially indicate sexual abuse, they could also be symptoms of other types of abuse or physical problems. Make an appointment with your child's primary care physician immediately.
How to Help Your Child After Sexual Abuse
There are three ways to help your child after a sexual abuse incident:
- Physical recovery with a consultation and an exam with your child's doctor.
- Psychological recovery by talking to a mental health professional specializing in talking with victims of childhood sexual abuse.
- Legal recovery by speaking with a skilled and empathetic child injury lawyer who wants to help your child make a full recovery.
The person who abused your child, as well as the staff or management responsible for supervision, could all be held liable for the trauma your child sustained. Our experienced child abuse attorneys will do a complete investigation and fight hard to get your child a fair recovery for past, current, and future medical expenses; out of pocket costs; psychological counseling; physical pain emotional suffering; and other damages caused by abuse.
These damages are only possible in a civil personal injury case. Even if the State of Texas pursues criminal charges, your child won't recover financial damages unless you pursue a civil recovery on their behalf.
Contact a Texas Child Abuse Attorney
Accordingly, we encourage you to learn more about what you can do to protect your child’s rights in order to make an informed decision. Further, we cannot stress enough the importance of gathering the necessary evidence to support your child abuse claim. Accurate and well-documented evidence is the best way to ensure your lawsuit is successful. Use the contact information on this page to schedule your free, confidential, no-obligation consultation right away.
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