Domestic & Sexual Violence
Advice for Young People
If you are in immediate danger call 999 now
If you would like to talk to someone, call Childline on 0800 1111. If you would like to receive some support for our own specialist youth domestic violence worker, Kala Mistry, services from her can be accessed on 0208 901 2690
Useful resources
Tips for abuse survivors and their dentist can be found here.
Free course: Caring for yourself after sexual violence: This e-learning course is available to anyone who has been subjected to sexual violence in childhood or adulthood. You will find modules of information and videos to watch as you work through the materials at your own pace.
Domestic violence and abuse is any type of hurt taking place between adults who are close to each other. Domestic violence and abuse might be between parents, boyfriend and girlfriend or between lesbian or gay couples, or within families. For example, your parent or step-parent, brother, sister or uncle might be hurting their partner at home.
The hurt can take place in lots of different ways. Sometimes it can result in physical violence, but it can also be emotional abuse, financial abuse or sexual abuse. Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone. Most people think it mainly happens to women, but it can happen to men as well. There are lots of different types of domestic violence and abuse; some of these are listed below:
- hitting, slapping, pulling hair, biting and kicking
- name calling, bullying, controlling what the other person does (mental/emotional abuse)
- controlling or taking all the money, not letting the other person work
- forcing the person to have sex, touching them against their will
Your parents and other family members should always look after and care about you, never hurt you and never hurt each other. You have a right to be safe and protected from being hurt. If someone is hurting you, or someone at home, or if you are frightened about being hurt, tell an adult who you trust.
If you can’t talk to anyone you know, there are lots of organisations that can help. The staff at Childline can offer support and advice. Tel: 0800 1111. Website: www.childline.org.uk
I thought that it was all my fault: that the shouting and fighting was because of me. I would have done anything to make it stop.
No matter how hard it is to see someone in your family being hurt, its important that you don’t try and stop the violence and hurt yourself. It’s much safer for you to try and find out what help is available.
Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual act or activity including but not restricted to: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, so-called honour-based violence, female genital mutilation, trafficking, sexual exploitation, and ritual abuse. Sexual violence can be perpetrated by a complete stranger, or by someone known and even trusted, such as a friend, colleague, family member, partner or ex-partner.
If you have been raped or experienced any other kind of sexual violence, no matter where you were, what you were doing, what you were wearing, what you were saying, if you were drunk or under the influence of drugs, it was not your fault and you did not deserve this.
If you need help, you can talk to someone at a sexual health centre (called GU clinics), your GP or a hospital or you can call Childline on 0800 1111, or Kala Mistry, our domestic violence youth worker on 0208 901 2690. The Wish Centre also offers confidential support by calling or texting on 0752 718 7177so you can talk to someone about how you feel.
Visit the Wish Centre’s website here.
If you are worried about the way you are being treated it’s important to talk to someone about it. Perhaps there is an adult you trust, your friend’s parent or a teacher who you can talk confidentially to about what’s happening. If you don’t feel there is anyone you can talk to nearby
Harrow has its own specialist youth domestic violence worker, Kala Mistry and services from her can be accessed on 0208 901 2690.
The Wish Centre offers confidential support by calling or texting on 0752 718 7177 or call Childline on 0800 1111
Visit the Wish Centre’s website here.
Find the Teen Power and Control Wheel here.
I listened to what was happening to my friend and was able to tell him about this website. I didn’t really think it would help, but he told me he wouldn’t have known what to do if I hadn’t been around to help out.
If your friend tells you that they are being hurt at home, or by their boyfriend or girlfriend, or if someone they live with is being hurt, you may feel it’s hard to know what to do. You could tell them about this website, tell them to talk to an adult they trust (such as a teacher) or, if you want to, give them the number for Childline 0800 1111 so they can talk to someone about any of their problems.
If your friend tells you about being hurt at home, or by their boyfriend or girlfriend, you may feel frightened for them or upset at the thought of what is happening to them. You may worry about them and want to stop them from being hurt, but it’s important to remember that you shouldn’t try and sort it out yourself. If you are feeling very upset you can telephone Childline on0800 1111, so you can talk to someone about how you’re feeling.