Lubbock’s Voice of Hope explained there are ways to prevent sexual abuse from happening and how to tell if this is going on with a child.
“For younger children, you want to watch out for behavioral changes. They may have explosive outbursts, eating patterns or sleeping patterns,” said Leslie Timmons, programs director Voice of Hope. “With the older kids, you want to look out for self harm, dropping out of activities that they’re interested in.”
There are warning signs to tell if a child is being sexually assaulted. Oftentimes, Timmons says, it’s a person the child knows.
“Most of the time, especially with younger kids, it’s somebody they know, whether it be a caregiver or a relative or classmate, something like that,” Timmons said.
She says it’s important to believe your child.
“Especially when we’re talking about child sexual abuse, it really affects the way they establish trust. If they’re sexually abused, everybody might be a potential perpetrator for them,” Timmons said.
They said being aware that this can even happen within the home is important.
“When it comes to sexual violence within the home, I encourage people to contact a safe person to get the help they need,” said Kenneth Castillo, primary prevention specialist at Voice of Hope.
For child sexual abuse resources, click here. https://www.rainn.org/
