How to Help Kids Deal With Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse of children is an unfortunate reality in our society. Helping its victims to deal with the physical and emotional devastation they suffer can be challenging, but, with the right resources, they can receive the assistance they need to get better.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Love
• Patience
• Long-term counseling
• Legal resources

Helping a Child Abuse Victim

1. Report child abuse immediately to the proper authorities. Call Child Protective Services and they will know what needs to be done in your particular situation. The first way to help a child who has been abused is to get him or her out of danger. Also, he or she can be given a medical examination, law enforcement can be contacted and a lawyer can be assigned to handle the ensuing case in court.
2. Get your child counseling as soon as possible. Some parents wrongly believe that having their son or daughter avoid talking about being abused will make them "forget" what happened. The truth of the matter is that your child will be dealing with anger, fear and other negative emotions that, if not confronted, can eventually result in self-destructive behavior, aggression, delinquency and the like. Child Protective Services can provide a counselor, who specializes in child abuse issues. It is important that your child be able to verbalize his/her experiences and emotions. Don't expect an instant "fix," as it may take some time for progress to be made, depending upon the level of abuse. Never pressure the counselor to hurry along the healing process.
3. Get counseling for yourself. If you are the non-offending parent of a child who has been sexually abused, you need to get help for yourself, in order to know how to properly help you child recover from his or her victimization. It is imperative that you know the right way to handle your child's emotions and that you deal with your own feelings of anger and grief.
4. Let your child know that you support him/ her. It is important to them that you let them know that you believe them and that you are not angry or upset with them. They need to know that you love them and that you will do everything necessary to keep them safe.
5. Try to establish as much of a normal routine as you can. Let your child go to school, do chores, play, etc., as he or she has usually done. Be protective, but not clingy or paranoid, so that your child will not feel fearful or as though something is wrong with them.
6. Prevent the offender, even if it is a parent or other family member, from being able to see your child. While a child abuse suspect may have initially been jailed, he may be out on bail, until a court date has been set. By no means should you allow your child to be in the presence of this individual, to prevent further trauma or cause your child to feel intimidated.
7. Be patient. Give your child the time needed to recover. Realistically, expect that there will be occasions when his/her behavior will be at its worst and that there may even be anger towards you. This is normal. While you still need to maintain discipline, make certain that you do so in a consistently loving manner.