It’s been growing at alarming rates all across the country.  According to a study done by the Los Angeles Times, as many as 13 million children (8 million girls and 5 million boys) will be abused before age 18.

You may have one or more of these children in your cabin or in your group.

Don’t panic, you’ve got plenty of support here at camp to help you deal with this problem.

Unless the child has come right out and told you of one or more specific incidents, please use the following list as a GUIDE ONLY.

Remember, some of these symptoms may underlie other problems beside child abuse (i.e. lack of appetite may be because of homesickness).

10 Common Symptoms of Sexual or Other Abuse

1.   Explicit (sometimes bizarre) sexual knowledge

 2.  Precocious sexually related experimentation or speech

 3.  Obsession with masturbation

 4.  Withdrawal from normal human contact

 5.  Suicidal depression; self-destructive tendencies

 6.  Loss of appetite (normal day one of camp)

7.   Unexplained bruises or injuries in genital areas

 8.  Lack of self-esteem or self-worth

 9.  Frequent nightmares

 10. Infections of the mouth, gums or throat (Be vigilant for venereal disease of the anus or throat.  Incidents are no longer uncommon in children.)

 NOTE:  These are symptoms and they may not indicate a problem.  So proceed with extreme caution!  It is vitally important to your camper’s welfare that you stay alert without becoming paranoid!

 It may be when they are changing for swimming that you notice your camper has a number of bruises or other marks.  It could be late in the week and after your camper has gained confidence in you that he/she confidentially tells you about major trouble in the home.  You might have one camper tell you about another camper in your cabin who has been molested by Dad.

 3 Things NOT to do

1. Please do not try to counsel the child concerning this problem!  Don’t take the risk of doing more harm that good!  The hurts, emotions and feelings run very deep.  Child abuse takes special care in counseling.  Be a good listener and be sure to show compassion.  Let the child confide in you.  The child obviously has to get this burden “off his shoulders”.

2. It’s juicy gossip and makes a great story to tell the other counselors.  Resist the temptation.  Spreading such stories around only adds one more blow onto your camper.  He has had enough already.  Please, do not add to the hurt.

3. Do not play the part of Judge.  It is not up to you to find out the details and truth of the story.  Remember, some kids get into fights with other kids, so those marks and bruises might well be from such a fight rather than child abuse at home.

Child abuse is “popular” and creates a lot of attention for a child; could it be that the stories the CHILD is spreading are false?

 5 Things to do Right Away

1. Take extra care to be sensitive to the child’s feelings and thoughts.  Some counselors like to horse around a little with their campers, but for an abused child this may be too close to real life horror at home.

2. Take the problem seriously.  It may be a misunderstanding on your part, but it is better to not take that chance.  If there is the possibility of child abuse, act accordingly.

3. If the child needs your firm arm around the shoulder (younger girls love to hold hands with counselor), give what is needed.  Do not be afraid to give wholesome love and attention.  But at the same time, do not force it on the child.

4. Lean heavy on the other campers to mind their own business if one of them sees the marks and begins to give the child a hard time.  Come to the defense of the child and draw attention to some other subject.
   
5. Report your observations or suspicions to the Camp Director.  Genuine child abuse, in most states, must be reported according to the law.  This is NOT the job of the counselor but of the Camp Director.  The Director may want to involve the Camp Nurse, but that is their decision and not yours.