When this story came to us, we all reeled, and you probably will too. The mother who wrote to us describes her account as raw and disturbing. It’s also very graphic in parts and we thought long and hard about whether to edit those parts out. But you know what? There’s nothing sanitised about child abuse and the details are part of the bigger picture. We hope that reading this (and sharing it) will enable more of us in the community to report child abuse if we suspect something may be occurring.

WARNING: The following content includes graphic descriptions of child abuse. If this is a troubling subject for you, you may not want to read the below story. Jane* writes:

You may want to share this with your friends:

According to the VIC Better Health website:

5 Possible signs of sexual abuse The main message from survivors is about the importance of paying attention to children’s behaviour. If children are being sexually abused, there may be physical signs such as bleeding from the vagina or anus (back passage), sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or poor hygiene. However, signs in a child’s behaviour are more likely. These include:

* Significant changes in behaviour, aggressive behaviour or regression to an earlier stage of development (for example bedwetting) * Sexual behaviour that is not appropriate to the child’s age * Depression or social withdrawal * Getting into trouble at school (sometimes to avoid going home) * Self-harming behaviours (for example self-mutilation, suicide attempts or prostitution).

Talking with children about abuse If the child appears to be under stress, encourage them to talk. Children will often tell little bits of information at a time to test the reactions of adults. To help a child who is being abused to talk about it, it’s important to:

* Encourage the child to tell you about what is happening. * Stay calm and listen. Gently ask what happened next rather than asking why. * Don’t rush the child. * Reassure them that they have done nothing wrong. * Be supportive and let them know you believe them. * Don’t tell them you will keep it a secret.

If you believe the child may be being abused, report your concerns immediately to the appropriate person in your own organisation and the Child Protection Service. If you are concerned about the welfare of a child you can get advice from The Child Abuse Prevention hotline on: 1800 688 009 or visit http://www.childabuseprevention.com.au/ or call The Child Abuse Report Line on: 131 478 (Open 24 hours).