How the Pandemic Has Affected Victims of Child Sexual Assault
It’s still too early to know what damage the pandemic is doing to the most vulnerable victims of sexual abuse. That’s why, says social worker Lisa Milam, it’s especially important to know that if a child tells you they’ve been assaulted, believe them.
Milam has spent nearly three decades with Our Kids, a Nashville-based free clinic and counseling center for sexually abused children and their families that is part of Nashville General, the city’s safety-net hospital. The no-nonsense social worker says that despite the many gray areas surrounding child sexual abuse — one of the most underreported crimes — one thing is virtually black-and-white.
“By far, the number one indicator that a child has been a victim of sexual abuse,” says Milam, “is a child’s statement that it has occurred.”
Signs that a child has been the victim of abuse include age-inappropriate sexualized behavior; a sudden, uncharacteristic fear of adults; and unexplained anxiety.
Read more: https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/features/article/21143780/how-the-pandemic-has-affected-victims-of-child-sexual-assault
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