Sophie's Place

Protect

Sophie’s Place allows children and youth

to share their story in a safe and welcoming space, supported and helped by a compassionate, highly integrated team

What to Look For

The signs and symptoms of child abuse are not always obvious, especially in cases of child sexual abuse. Often children have been threatened or confused by their abuser not to disclose the abuse.

The guidelines listed below are general signs and symptoms and if you notice these in your child you should ask them if anything has happened.

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Signs & Symptoms

New Fears, Withdrawn, Depressed

Abused children or teenagers may develop new fears of situations, places, or people. They may become excessively shy, clingy, anxious, scared or withdrawn. They may show distress or resistance to spending time with a particular adult. They may resist playing with their usual friends and withdraw from activities they previously enjoyed.

Unexplained Injuries

Visible signs physical abuse may include unexplained burns or bruises in the shape of objects. You may also hear unconvincing explanations of a child’s injuries.

Anger, Hostility

If children or teens are not allowed or able to express anger toward the abuser, they may take their anger out on others or against themselves.

Sleeping and Eating Problems

Children or teens may have problems sleeping, experience nightmares, or display sudden loss or gain in appetite. Children may regress in their development. A child might return to younger, more babyish behavior such as wetting the bed or thumb sucking.

Returning to Earlier Behaviour

Abused children may display behaviors shown at earlier ages, such as thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, fear of the dark or strangers. For some children, even loss of acquired language or memory problems may be an issue.

Problems at School

Children or teens may have difficulty concentrating which can affect school performance. A change in grades or behavior at school is not uncommon.

Lack of Personal Hygiene

Abused and neglected children or teenagers may appear uncared for. They may present as consistently dirty and have severe body odor, or they may lack sufficient clothing for weather.

Self-Destructive Acts

Children or teens may feel such guilt and shame from the abuse that they may take their feelings out by hurting themselves. This may involve hitting or cutting themselves, using drugs and/or alcohol or even a suicide attempt. As teens that were abused as children mature, it is common for issues of abuse to resurface requiring additional or new services.

Loss of Boundaries

Children or teens may be overly friendly and attached to total strangers, or they may tolerate abuse from other children. They may become excessively isolated and withdrawn, or may become overly obedient. They might excessively seek time with a specific adult who gives them extra attention, gifts, or privileges.

Risk-Taking Behaviours

Children or teenagers who are being abused may engage in high-risk activities such as using drugs or alcohol or carrying a weapon.

Inappropriate Sexual Behaviours

Children may act out sexually, in a way that’s inconsistent with children of the same age. They may show an unusual interest in other people’s or animal’s genitals, or masturbate excessively. They may try to express affection in an inappropriate way, such as fondling private parts. Teens may participate in risky sexual behavior and make inappropriate advances in public. They may have sexual knowledge beyond their level of development.

How Can You Help Protect Children?

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What to Do

If a child tells you they have been abused or neglected:

Sometimes, children who are being abused or neglected will tell someone they trust. If this happens to you:

Stay calm and listen—Listen attentively and let the child tell their story. You may feel angry or shocked or scared, but you need to be calm for the child’s sake. That way, they know it is okay to talk about what happened.

Go slowly—Let the child tell you what happened in their own way and at their own pace. Gentle questions such as: “Can you tell me more about what happened?” can help.

Be supportive—let the child know that:

they are not in trouble and have not done anything wrong
they are very brave and did the right thing by telling you
you are sorry this has happened to them
you will do everything you can to help, and
you know other people who can help them too

Get only the basic facts—You don’t need a lot of details. You just need to know what happened in general. Remember that the child may have to tell their story to a child welfare worker, and maybe the police, too. And it is hard to have to talk about abuse or neglect again and again.

Tell the child what will happen next—Let them know you will be talking to a child welfare worker, and possibly the police, who may need to come and talk to them. If the child asks questions, answer what you can. If you do not know the answer, it is okay to say, “I do not know” or “We can ask the child welfare worker about that.” Do not promise to keep it a secret.

More information is available in the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s booklet Responding to Child Welfare Concerns.

REPORTING CHILD ABUSE

If you or a child is in immediate danger please call 911

To report child abuse please call:

1-800-663-9122 (The Ministry of Children and Family Development)

OR

604-599-0502 (Police)

For general inquiries about Sophie’s Place:
Phone: 604-588-0727
Email: spinfo@the-centre.org

Sextorition, Intimate Images Shared- What to Do

Immediately stop talking to the sextorter.
Never pay money or send additional sexual photos. Do NOT give in to threats. In the many reports Cybertip.ca has seen, responding makes the harassment continue.
Screenshot all the messages with the sextorter.
Turn your phone to airplane mode to stop receiving notifications, or block the sextorter.
Speak to a safe adult for support.
Go to NeedHelpNow.ca for support.
Report to Cybertip.ca. Concerns about sextortion are also forwarded to police.
- In many cases, Cybertip.ca reaches out to services like Instagram and Snapchat to intervene in the moment to help get the account of the sextorter disabled. Cybertip.ca staff work closely with the Support Services team to assist youth in crisis and help youth get through the incident.
If your intimate image has been shared without your consent, you can also report here.

Sextortion is the fastest growing crime

More Information

Parenting in an Online World

Parenting in the Digital World

Did you know?

More than 60% of child abuse cases are unreported
1 in 3 Canadian girls and 1 in 6 Canadian boys will experience an unwanted sexual act
90% of abusers are known to their child victims
Children with disabilities are 4x as likely to experience violence as their non-disabled peers

Did you know that adults in Canada are under legal obligation to report child abuse?

We’re all responsible… Everyone who has a reason to believe that a child has been, or is likely to be, neglected, physically harmed, sexually abused or sexually exploited, or needs protection, is legally responsible to report the matter to a child protection worker at the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Phone 1-800-663-9122 at any time of the day or night.

Under BC law you have a legal duty to report your concerns if you have reason to believe a child or youth (under 19 years old) has been, or is likely to be, abused or neglected. “Reason to believe” means that, based on what you have seen, or information you have, you believe a child or youth could be at risk and you are concerned about the child’s/youth’s safety and well-being.

Your immediate action can prevent further child abuse and help the family. As long as your report is made in good faith, you are not liable for any loss or damage. You can help stop child abuse.