I agree with salukigirl that abuse comes in more than one form. It is very true. Just because your children may not have physical scars doesn't mean he hasn't done anything. And sometimes people only take it seriously when there are physical remnants to show. When I was being abused by my mothers now ex, he never laid a finger on me. But the damage he caused was worse than the damage caused by someone who did beat me. But nobody had any major concern because what he did didn't involve beating the crap out of me or molesting me. I remember going to my therapist one session with my grandma, and she said she was worried what he was doing was sexual. Yet she never raised any concern? Never asked me if he had done that? My aunty never let my cousins in my house because she was worried about safety, yet she left me there? Did ask me if I needed to get away from there? Never called welfare? Treated my like a hassle when I asked for help?
If I'd showed up to someones door covered in bruises or claiming to have been sexually assaulted all hell would have broke loose. But nobody did anything because that never happened. Hence the reason I'm the way I am now. I can't call someone without panicking about using a phone, I haven't worked a job that involved people in 5 years, still have nightmares and are scared of the dark, and can't have a relationship of my own, just to name a few things. Don't let that happen to your kids, take their concerns VERY seriously.
Abuse is abuse.