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Recognise child abuse
Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility. Learn about the signs of abuse and the myths of reporting it.
Contents
Myths about reporting child abuse
Children and young people can find it extremely difficult to ask for help from anyone if they're being abused.
The most common barriers that stop them from asking for help are:
- having no one to turn or trust to tell
- feeling isolated
- fears and anxieties that can be manipulated by the abuser
- developmental barriers
- emotional barriers and anxieties
- no one listened and no one asked: lack of recognition of abuse by others
- anxiety about anything they say not being kept confidential
There are a lot of myths around child abuse that can stop people from reporting it. We all have a duty to speak up for abused children.
| Myth | Fact |
| Reporting leads to children being taken away. | Our number 1 priority is to support families to stay together where it's safe for them to be. |
| Abuse is only physical or sexual. | Emotional abuse and neglect are common and just as harmful. |
| Children would communicate clearly if they're being abused. | Many children struggle to articulate their experiences, often subtly indicating distress. |
| Children are just attention-seeking when they act up. | Changes in behaviour are one of the key signs that a child may be suffering from abuse or neglect. |