Need help straight away?
Contact a counsellor online or call 0800 1111. Calls are free and confidential.
Hi there,
Nobody has the right to hurt you – no matter what. Although it’s difficult, the best thing to do is to tell someone so that you can get out of this situation. You deserve to be happy and to not feel scared at home.
When someone is abusing you in this way, it can seem like you’re trapped and there is no way out. Sometimes it might feel normal or that you deserve it – neither of which is true. There’s nothing you could say or do to make it okay for someone to hurt you.
Make sure you feel ready to share your story with someone first. Even though you feel unsafe at home, it takes time and courage to work up to telling someone. Finding the right person is one of the most important things – they need to be someone you can trust who will get you the help you need.
It’s important that you don’t put yourself in any further danger by them finding out that you’ve told someone before you are safe. So picking the right time is really crucial. You could tell a teacher at school and then arrange for them to contact social services who could meet you away from home first.
To really know for sure what you want to do next, you’ll need to fully understand what could happen. A good way to get this understanding is to talk it through with a ChildLine counsellor who will be able to give you some more advice.
I hope all this helps. Well done for getting in touch.
Sam
Contact a counsellor online or call 0800 1111. Calls are free and confidential.