Child Physical/Sexual Abuse and Pornography

Unfortunately, sexual abuse is often very difficult to prove especially when a child is young.  If  there is no clear physical evidence of the abuse, the courts may or may not be willing to convict someone for sex abuse only based on the child’s testimony.  I can’t specifically speak to your situation so you may want to try to consult with a lawyer to see what your best legal options may be for protecting your child - you may want to consider with a local lawyer the pros and cons of: [HYPERLINK TO FINDING A LAWYER]

• reporting the abuse to the police,
• reporting the abuse to the courts,
• to file for a protection order,
• to file for custody, or
• other possible options. 

Also, perhaps you may want to reach out to some organizations that deal with child abuse to get support for yourself and your child. Here’s a link for information about national organizations that deal with child abuse and who might be able to help or refer to a local organization. You may also want to see these chat-rooms and message boards in hopes that one of them could be helpful. You might also be able to get counseling or support for yourself and your child locally through one of these local domestic violence organizations. [HYPERLINK]

Here are a couple other resources you might find helpful as you support your child and take next steps: 

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network has What to Do if Your Child Discloses Sexual Abuse: A Guide For Parents and Caregivers
• RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) has If You Suspect a Child is Being Harmed, a guide for caring adults