im desperate please help?

Question

hi there i was wondering if someone could please answer my question?
i recently noticed warts on my 3 yr old nieces bottom.no one in my husbands family has warts in fact no one in the history of my husbands family has had warts.so where could she have got them from.and isnt your bottom an extremely strange place to get them.my real question is could sexual abuse be a possibility.

Additional Details

20 hours ago
she is extremely moody unhappy she is scared of males.is a very depressed girl.she does not live with my husband and i we just take her on a regular basis as her and her brother and sisters dont live a very good lifestyle with her mother.im not sure wat herpes looks like so as far as i can tell you it looks like warts that would scab if you scratched them.

20 hours ago
i can not take her to the docs coz i dont have that kind of authority i guess and i dont kno who her doc is if she even has one

Answer 1

I would like to make a suggestion. You have obvious computer skills since you're logged on to this Q&A board, so please try this: Go to the website of WebMD.com. This has a wealth of information on all kinds of health issues. When you get there, type in the key words....warts, or warts children or warts causes. You will be directed to a number of articles, etc, that explain first of all what a wart is, how it gets there and how long it customarily stays.

The following paragraph is something I just now cut and pasted from webmd.com on warts:

A wart is a harmless, noncancerous skin growth caused by a human papillomavirus (HPV). There are more than 100 known types of HPV. HPV infects the top layer of skin, usually entering the body in an area of broken skin. The virus causes the top layer of skin to grow rapidly, resulting in a wart. Warts generally go away on their own within months or years.1

Answer 2

You said that the childs home is not a good environment. Does that mean heavy drinking and drugs? If so one of the moms "friends" may very well be abusing this child.

You definately have an obligation though to call someone or take her to a Dr or ER if you suspect absue. What if you don't and years later you find out you were right and you didn't do anything to start with? I would also make sure that you volunteer yourself as custodian instead of her being placed in a foster home, that can be just as dangerous and abusive as what you suspect (not in all cases though, but it's always better for a child to be with a family member rather then strangers, especially at such a delicate age as 3 years old).

What about the other children in the house? Are they displaying signs of abuse? Are they old enough and reliable enough to talk to and ask about possible abuse? Is your sister in law? How about your husband asking her about whats going on? Find out if she is being left with strange men, even if just for a half hour, something can happen.

I googled images of herpes, I apologize before hand, I tried to get good examples of what it can look like, one may be a little disturbing. But to get a better idea without me plastering links to pictures of all sorts of privates with herpes I suggest you do what I did. Go to www.google.com. Click on the images link and type herpes. This will give an idea of the different ways that herpes can look.

Good luck with this. I hope it's nothing.

Answer 3

You need to talk to her mum, tell her what you've noticed and suggest to her that it is always better to check children out because warts can do a lot of dammage. You could also tell her that her behaviour. Only approach her about what is objective (Aappearnce of spots that could be warts) Not about the suggestive (You think she could be abused).

Your sister may not react too happily at teh thought that you believe abuse may be taking place!

Should your sister not get her daughter checked, should her behaviour not improve then your only possibility will be to take another route, involving officials and this could cause a family rift that would prove detrimental to your little niece. By the same token, do you want to feel a child suffered because you didn't act?

Best wishes

Answer 4

No, this is not normal. You say the family doesn't have a very good lifestyle. Perhaps you should report them to Child Protective Services anonymously to ensure the health and safety of the children. If your niece is afraid of men in general, there is a very good possibility the reason may be abuse of some sort. Please don't let these children remain in an unsafe environment; report them to Social Services or to a Child Protective Service in your area.

Answer 5

First, little kids can get warts, and it is not hereditary.

However, there is NO logical reason why she should have them on her bottom. If you said she has them on her hands, too, then I'd think they spread to her bottom naturally, since kids stick their hands in a veriety of places.

I suspect you may be right about herpes or genital warts -- some kind of STD.

You need to call up a hotline for victims of sexual abuse, and consult with them. They can give you good advice and tell you what to do.

Another option would be to call the police with your suspicions, but just in case you're wrong, it would be best to consult with a hotline first.

Answer 6

I'm no expert, however I have done numerous child protection courses and work with Children. She does appear to be displaying behaviours and symtoms to that of a child who may be suspected to have been sexually abused or is being sexually abused. You could contact DoCS and speak to them - you can remain annonymous - perhaps they can assist you better? It's not a case of your authority or not, you have a duty of care to this child and if you have a genuine concern, you should report it, if it is in the best interest for the care and protection of the child.

Answer 7

Take her to the er any way explain to them what is going on and you are concerned cause no one will do any thing

Answer 8

PLEASE Call the local Childrens Services office in your area and tell them what you have told us. PLEASE do this for, you may be the only one to save her from possible sexual abuse. It is your DUTY ro check into it,