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November 23, 2004
Signs of child sex abuse hard to spot
By Aubrey Fleischer -- fdlreporter.com
Coupled with fear of what will happen to them if they tell anyone, feelings of guilt, shame and denial can make children react to abuse in a variety of different ways depending on their age and developmental stage.
Different factors can make warning signs of sexual abuse hard to identify because of children’s various reactions, but Fond du Lac County Social Services Access Director Susan Zuber said any significant, long-term behavioral changes could raise a red flag.
“There aren’t specific warning signs, but there are things you can look for,” Zuber said. “Look for changes that would seem out of the ordinary — patterns over a period of time.”
Children of various ages were the victims of three men convicted of repeated sexual assault of local children this year. Although they were convicted of similar crimes with some of the same children, Shawn Luchinski, Leslie Luchinski and Jacob Broeker were tried separately.
A school resource officer helped discover the crimes in late 2003 after a number of children were involved in sexual acts with each other.
Zuber said identifying warning signs is difficult, because behavioral changes don’t always signal abuse. She said signs of abuse can differ depending on the age of the child.
Older children could become more secretive or appear as though they’re hiding something, she said.
Some could become more aggressive or act out sexually, some could become depressed, but some could exhibit no symptoms at all.
In younger children, signs could include knowledge of sexual activity beyond their stage of development, mimicking sexual behavior, urinary tract infections or soiling their pants.
Zuber said in almost all cases, there is no physical evidence of a sexual assault. Children often keep the abuse a secret, especially if they’re being threatened or told not to tell anyone.
“The problem is that it’s a hidden problem,” Zuber said. “Kids don’t just come up and say, ‘Hey, I was abused.’”
Children involved in sexual abuse cases in Fond du Lac County are taken to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee or Neenah for a forensic examination, Zuber said. The facilities have child-sized equipment and their specialists are specifically trained in performing exams on children, Zuber said.
The lack of physical evidence can often make such cases harder to prosecute in court, particularly if very young children are involved. The younger the child, the harder it is to articulate and recall enough about what happened to produce a conviction, she said.
Posted by Nealus at November 23, 2004 01:26 PM
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