How would you feel if a person that you trusted with your child turned out to be a predator? For one child's parents, it was a terrible realization when they found out that a priest was abusing their daughter.
Her life has forever been changed
A 5-year-old's life has forever been changed after she suffered terrible abuse at the hands of a priest.
Her parents initially became suspicious after noticing that their 5-year-old daughter didn't want to go to her English classes at the local church. That's when they started having some suspicions.
Eventually, they found a drawing that their daughter had made, detailing the horrible abuse that she had suffered. Shocked at the images, they sought help by going to a psychiatrist who suspected sexual abuse.
The priest eventually confessed to the crime
They found six disturbing images that detailed horrific sexual abuse. One of the images show a man hovering over a child that had a look of horror on her face. Another shows a child lying on the bed, with a man forcing himself on her.
The priest, Joao de Silva, 54, was then confronted by the child's father and was then reported to the police. He claimed that the priest later admitted the abuse in a phone call.
He is now currently under police custody and is being interviewed over allegations of child abuse.
Knowing the signs of abuse
What happened to the little girl is extremely heartbreaking. However, through her parents' actions, they eventually figured out what really was going on. Here are some signs of sexual abuse in children that you should look out for:
- Inappropriate activities with toys or other objects.
- Having sleeping problems or nightmares.
- Your child becomes very secretive.
- Bedwetting.
- Your child has new words for certain body parts that they can't explain how they learned.
- Avoiding being alone with a specific person.
- Self-harm such as cutting, burning, or other similar activities.
- Unexplained mood swings.
If you see any of these signs in your child, it's best to talk to them about it to get to the root of what's causing that behavior. Additionally, you can also consult a psychiatrist so that they can better help you with understanding what's going on.
READ: Mom shares heartbreaking video of how her husband sexually abused her daughter
Sources: parentsprotect.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk, mirror.co.uk
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