On average, 5 children were abused every day in the country in 2016. there were more than 2,000 alert calls!
Out of the 109 calls that were directly received to line 1147 from the National Board of the Childhood (Pani), 13 were denounced to the Courts of Sexual Crimes.
Can you recognize if your child is a sexual-abuse victim?
Unfortunately, an ordinary person can’t detect sexual abuse at first and we cannot live with a paranoia that any godfather, any uncle or any friend can be an abuser,
said Laura Chinchilla, a psychologist at the Board.
However, there are signs that a parent can consider:
-Fear: A child who has been a victim of abuse may be scared of some particular location, gender, or physical appearance.
-They may cry when they are left at daycares or they may be uncomfortable and evasive with adults and people in charge.
Any drastic behavior change needs to be studied. For example, a little boy who starts wetting the bed again needs to be checked. A teenager who used to be cheerful, who sang, listened to the radio and suddenly changed his/her attitude and starts locking in his/her room indicates that something is happening. You have to be alert and see if there is any drug use, sexual abuse or a family problem,
informed Chinchilla.
parents need to encourage and strengthen communication and dialogue with children from a young age:
-Teach them that no one can touch them without their consent.
They need to develop relationships based on trust and affection: If the child is afraid of his/her parents, he/she will be scared of telling them what is happening.