Newswise -- "People often think children are most vulnerable to strangers when it comes to sexual abuse," says Renitta Goldman, PhD, a University of Alabama at Birmingham expert on child abuse. "But the perpetrators are frequently people known to the family such as relatives, step-parents or babysitters."
Goldman, co-author of "Silent Shame," and "Children at Risk: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Child Abuse," says children often resist reporting sexual abuse out of fear that they've done something wrong, or they've been threatened to remain silent. "They're more likely to report sexual abuse to a teacher than a parent, and boys are less likely than girls to report abuse."
Goldman says signs of sexual abuse include behavioral problems, loss of appetite, nightmares, depression, resistance to being touched, and a drop in grades.
Source: University of Alabama at Birmingham
