Sexual Abuse at Daycare

Daycare and preschool are two of the stages where your children meet new people and friends. It’s also the time where they most commonly meet strangers in the form of their teachers, guardians at school, and other people working at the institution, but they’re also the people who will put your child at significant risk! Unlike what other people think, sexual assault in daycare is a common problem, but your children are sometimes not familiar with the signs of being sexually assaulted. The only thing they’ll remember is that they felt uncomfortable with someone’s actions or words.

Sexual assault doesn’t include negligence! In fact, sexual assault is an intentional act that you should address immediately! If you think your child has been or is being sexually abused, take action! You can file criminal charges and a civil claim for damages with the help of a sexual abuse attorney. Keep on reading to learn more about sexual assault at daycare!

What Is Considered Sexual Abuse in Daycare?

Child sexual abuse is a sexual, psychological, and physical activity that involves sexual interactions with a minor. Kids can’t give their consent to sexual activity, so this leads to significant harm. Your children will always be at risk of sexual assault. Based on reports, children can’t report these kinds of incidents of assault and abuse because they lack awareness and vocabulary. Your children should know how they’re being hurt or abused because they’re the youngest victims of this act. It’s best to learn about the different kinds of sexual assault daycare so you can determine if your child is being abused while in the care of another individual. It may include but is not limited to:

• Touching of the breasts, genitals, and other private areas
• Exposing oneself to a minor
• Doing something inappropriate in the presence of a minor or forcing a minor to masturbate
• Forcing or allowing a minor to engage in sexual activity
• Injuries resulting from forced and unwanted sexual activity
• Obscene phone calls and text messages
• Exposing a minor to sexual games, images, or videos
• Unwanted sexual intercourse of any kind
• Behaviors that threaten a minor’s mental, emotional, or physical well-being

What Are Some of the Signs of Sexual Abuse in Daycare?

You can always stop sexual abuse at daycare by looking out for the warning signs related to this kind of act. By doing that, you can get your child out of the daycare center as soon as you notice the warning signs. Usually, sexual or physical abuse is easier to identify than psychological abuse.

1. Physical Abuse

You can identify physical abuse through scratches, bruises, or other marks that can’t be explained. Make sure to check your child regularly for marks that may mean they’re experiencing abuse. Other examples may include:

• Bleeding, bruises, or swelling around or in the genitals
• Pain when walking or sitting
• Pain, burning, or itching in the genitals

2. Daycare Sexual Abuse Case

Bleeding, itching, pain, or bruising near the genitals are signs of a daycare sexual abuse case. Your child may also experience difficulties sitting or moving around, asking more about sexual activity, wearing more clothes, and regressive behaviors.

3. Psychological Abuse

If your child is behaving irregularly, they may have been assaulted. You may also notice that your child acts outside of his or her age range, experiences stomach aches or headaches for no reason, acts out inappropriately, doesn’t give affection or express his or her emotions, and stops communicating. Here are other examples of irregular behaviors:

• Loss of appetite
• Bathing too much or refusal to do so
• Unusual interest in, knowledge of, or familiarity with sexual topics
• A return to regressive behaviors like thumb-sucking or bedwetting
• Major changes in his/her sleeping patterns
• Unusual emotional outbursts
• Seems fearful or resists physical contact

How to Keep Your Child Safe from Daycare Sexual Assault

Even if sexual abuse in daycare is rare, your role, as a parent, is to learn how to protect your kids so that it doesn’t happen in the first place. On top of that, do exhaustive research on the daycare center to keep your child safe. You can also:

• Background check the people that interact with your child at the center.
• Build a close relationship with the staff and daycare center.
• Join a child abuse prevention class.
• Follow the latest guidelines on how to prevent sexual assault daycare.
• Ask your child regularly about their day at school.
• Teach them about setting boundaries and inform them they’ll never get in trouble for doing that.
• Educate your child about inappropriate and appropriate behaviors and touching.

If a sexual assault has already happened, you should help him/her deal with the situation. After the incident, you can follow these steps to help your child.

• Legal treatment by talking to an empathetic and experienced child injury lawyer who wants to help your child recover from the ordeal
• Psychological recovery by talking to a therapist specializing in handling similar cases and talking to victims of childhood sexual abuse
• Physical recovery with an examination and consultation with your family doctor

	More Tips  On How to Prevent Sexual Abuse at Your Child’s Daycare Center
Teach them that their body is private.	Teach your child that their private parts are not for everyone to see. Tell them that only you or your partner can see them naked, but people outside your home should only see them with their clothes. Tell your kid how their doctors can see them without their clothes because you’re with them and the doctor is examining their body with your consent.
Teach them to set body boundaries.	Teach them that no one should touch their private areas, and no one should ask those areas. You’ll often overlook the second aspect of this step! You should inform them that sexual abuse often starts with the offender asking the child to touch them.
Teach them how to get out of scary situations.	Other children are quite uncomfortable with rejecting people, especially adults or older peers. Inform them that they can excuse themselves and leave if something makes them uncomfortable. Give them words that will help them get out of uncomfortable situations. Tell them that if someone wants to touch or see their private parts, they can tell them they need to leave.

Did You Know

Keeping an eye out for the warning signs of daycare abuse can help you to detect daycare abuse early?”

How Can the Diamond and Diamond Law Firm Help?

Immediately talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer from Diamond and Diamond to schedule a free consultation. At Diamond and Diamond, we encourage you to learn more about what you can do to fight for your child’s rights to make a wise decision for their well-being. Contact us at 1-800-567-HURT!

Sexual Abuse at Daycare FAQs

Can I already file a complaint if I believe my child was abused at daycare without evidence?

It’s scary to accuse an individual of abuse or assault, especially if you can’t be certain. But if you have suspicions that your child is being abused or assaulted, here are a few important steps you can take:

• Visit your family doctor for an examination. Medical practitioners are better to find the signs of abuse and provide you with certain proof.
• Call the local authorities and Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline to report the incident. It’ll promote a state investigation into the center.
• If you already have evidence of abuse, report it to the local law enforcement department to start an investigation.
• Talk to an attorney. Diamond and Diamond can help you with your daycare sexual abuse case. We can ensure that proper channels are notified of the abuse and assault and hold the daycare center responsible for the actions of their employees or their actions.

In order to file a lawsuit for sexual abuse in daycare, what evidence do I need?

In making a report, state law requires that you have reasonable suspicions that sexual abuse is happening. File a report immediately to law enforcement departments and inform them of the:

• Address, phone number, and name of the reporter
• The nature of the report and whether the child is in imminent danger
• Name of the alleged offender, if known
• Reason for reporting the incident, including whether it’s part of an ongoing pattern or specific signs of abuse
• Kinds of abuse and assault suspected
• Contact information of the child’s caregivers or parents, if known
• Address where the authorities can locate the child
• Age of the child
• Name of the alleged victim

If known, you should also disclose the following information:

• Last occurrence of the incident
• Whether the offender is aware of the report and the local authorities notified the non-offending parent of the report
• The exact time the child disclosed the abuse if there was a disclosure

What compensation will my child receive if he/she has been sexually abused at daycare?

Because sexual abuse is both an intentional wrongful act and a crime, you can get financial compensation. Unfortunately, many fear that receiving that compensation from the organization or the offender would be pointless; however, monetary compensation can help cover the costs of counseling, psychiatric treatment, medical examination, and similar care. It can help offset much of that damage caused by the abuse, such as damaged relationships, limited employment, and other consequences.