A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal.
Some children who have been sexually abused have difficulty relating to others except on sexual terms. Some sexually abused children become child abusers or prostitutes, or have other serious problems when they reach adulthood.
Often there are no obvious physical signs of child sexual abuse. Some signs can only be detected on physical exam by a physician.
Smile and Let Smile 
CAWM
August 26, 2007 at 9:58 am
Thank you Aisha.
Nymphadora
August 25, 2007 at 10:00 pm
Hi, Where can you go for help? It depends a bit on where you are. But so far as I know there are a few resources you can use.1. If you have a good, close friend, you could begin by confiding in that friend. Some find it easier to talk to start talking to someone they know. They might or might not be experts at dealing with what you share with them. But, sharing with them is a very important healing step for you. If there’s at least one person who knows your ‘secret’, you may be surprised how relieved you are that you no longer have to hide. Also, they might be able to help when other effects related to abuse creep up on and off, like mood swings, depression, lack of self esteem, etc. 2. If talking to a friend is not your cup of tea, or if you have, but still want to get more help, I suggest getting professional help. Depending on how severe you think your case is, counselors in SHE, or psychiatrists in the hospital can help you figure out things. Admittedly, Male’ doesn’t have a lot of either, but if you get the chance, they can be a big help. It’s important you find someone you’re comfortable talking to, so try as many as is convenient for you until you find the right one. They can give you a lot of insight into why some of the effects occur, and how to deal with them etc. 3. Another thing you could do, though not available in Male’, is attending a support group. A lot of countries have these activities where people with similar experiences come together and talk about them. It creates an atmosphere where there is a lot of empathy, understanding and caring. In other words, it’s a ‘safe’ environment. You can talk about your experiences, and hear from others how they have dealt with their experiences. It is a lot of help if you can get to one. 4. THere is a lot of information online, as well as a lot of books you can read which can help you sort through the problems one at a time. They can be good in the sense that you don’t have to talk to anyone if you don’t want to, you can do it totally privately. If you’re interested, I can give you the names of some books. And I think this website has some links to very good online resources as well. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and you don’t have to follow it step by step. Just start where ever you want to. Take as much time as you need. It’s important to remember though, if you have not dealt with this issue before, and it has been a long time, it might be very hard to start dealing with it, and it might be harder still to go on. It will take a LOT of time, and LOT of courage, which I believe anyone who survived abuse, has a LOT of. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Give your self time to heal. Also, starting to deal with these issues is like opening a closet full of skeletons. The more you open it, the easier it gets, and the less scary it gets. Be sure to have someone you can turn to if things get rough. It’s important. Finally, I think it takes a lot of courage for a survivor of abuse to actually admit he or she has something to deal with. That is the first step. Keep faith, and you WILL be able to lead a very happy life. Hope this helped. Aisha.
Anonymous
August 25, 2007 at 7:28 pm
If I am someone who has been sexually abused, where can I go, to seek help to lead a normal life?