Mental health professionals offer tips to spot signs for physical or sexual child abuse

When physical or sexual abuse cases involving minors occur, victims and their families often seek help

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI)- When physical or sexual abuse cases involving minors occur, victims and their families often seek help.

Professionals say the first person to go to should be a trusted family member then it’s up to that person to get the child the help they need.

If and when a child has been abused physically or sexually in our area one of the first calls is either to the police or to sally kate winters in West Point.

The professionals there encourage families and friends to learn to recognize some of the signs of abuse in a child.

“If you observe some type of drastic change in behavior that you don’t you don’t normally see in that child; they become more reserved, for younger children it can be bed wetting, but children have to feel safe to talk,” said clinical program coordinator Sarah Gollman.

Gollman said in many cases kids don’t feel comfortable talking.

“Rather than verbalize their feelings and their trauma kids will have physical symptoms; headaches, stomach aches, that’s just a common occurrence for kids who are struggling with something but can’t quite say what they’re struggling with,” said Gollman.

In many cases, people don’t know about the sexual abuse until they take a child to the doctor.

“Such as a sexually transmitted disease you’d be surprised as to how many kids may not be able to say that they’ve been abused but will test positive for a sexually transmitted disease that they would only get one way or another,” said Gollman.

Gollman says everyone should report suspected activity just to be on the safe side

In the Children’s Advocacy Center, they have a child first doctrine that allows the kids that come in to feel welcome and safe rather than scared.

“We’re here for the child, it means that the child comes first in anything. It’s not so much the investigation or getting the facts or you know proving that something did happen or did not happen. It’s what the child needs,” said Gollman.

Gollman encouraged anyone that knows of a child sex crime situation to make a hotline report. That number is 1-800-222-8000.

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