Types of abuse
There are several different types of abuse.
There are several different types of abuse.
No one has the right to hurt you, whether it is members of your family, acquaintances, strangers or people your own age (also see bullying). You have a right to be cared for in a way that does not harm you physically or emotionally. It does not matter if you are living with your parents, are in further education, a member of the armed forces, in hospital, prison or a young offenders institution.
Find out about the different types of abuse:
Physical abuse is when someone hurts a young person on purpose. There are many forms of physical abuse:
The most common types of physical abuse include:
It Follows Me Around - A child's physical abuse story from ChildLine.
Lots of young people experience physical abuse. It can be at the hands of their mum or dad, sister or brother, a boyfriend or girlfriend. It may happen only on the odd occasion, like when someone has been drinking, but this is still very wrong.
It is important to remember that it is never your fault. It doesn't matter if you have done something to upset someone, they should never hurt you.
If you are living with someone who is abusive you might be worried about:
There are people you can talk to about any of these things. You can call the WSCP on 020 8871 6622 (after 5pm weekdays or on weekends: 020 8871 6000) or call Childline on 0800 1111.
If you are worried about a friend then you should try and talk to them. You should encourage them to call Childline or speak to a teacher or another trusted adult.
The Childline website offers more information on physical and other types of abuse, and provides more contact information.
Sexual abuse is when a boy or girl is told, asked or forced to take part in sexual activities. It does not matter if they know what is happening, or not.
There are different ways in which a young person can be sexually abused. Some examples are:
Being sexually abused is a horrible thing to happen and can leave you feeling frightened and confused. But please remember, it is not your fault, never blame yourself for what happened.
It is important that you talk to someone if any thing happens to you. You can call the WSCP on 020 8871 6622 (after 5pm weekdays or on weekends: 020 8871 6000) or call Childline on 0800 1111. Here's a video about calling Childline.
If you are worried about a friend then you should try to talk to them. You should encourage them to call Childline or speak to a teacher or another trusted adult.
The Childline website offers more information on sexual and other types of abuse, and provides more contact information.
Emotional abuse is when someone does or says something to make you feel sad, scared or bad about yourself.
It could be your parents, siblings, teachers or people your own age who abuse you emotionally. It is even possible the person, or people, making you feel this way do not know what they are doing, but this does not mean it is not abuse.
This type of abuse does not leave scars and bruises on the outside so people do not always see that you need help. Be sure to speak to someone if you feel that what is being done to you needs to stop.
Examples of emotional abuse are:
Words Can Hurt - Verbal abuse and emotional abuse video from ChildLine.
There are people you can talk to about any of these things. You can call the WSCP on 020 8871 6622 (after 5pm weekdays or on weekends: 020 8871 6000) or call Childline on 0800 1111.
If you are worried about a friend then you should try to talk to them. You should encourage them to call Childline or speak to a teacher or another trusted adult.
The Childline website offers more information on emotional and other types of abuse, and provides more contact information.
Neglect is when a young person is not being looked after properly and their very basic needs are not met.
This could result in their health or growth being damaged. These 'very basic needs' include:
Wants and Needs - a video about emotional abuse from Childline.
Neglect is when you aren't getting any or some of the things above. For example:
There are people you can talk to about any of these things. You can call the WSCB on 020 8871 6622 (after 5pm weekdays or on weekends: 020 8871 6000) or call Childline on 0800 1111.
If you are worried about a friend then you should try to talk to them. You should encourage them to call Childline or speak to a teacher or another trusted adult.
The Childline website offers more information on neglect and other types of abuse, and provides more contact information.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a form of child abuse common to some African, Asian and Middle Eastern communities in the UK.
This illegal and very dangerous initiation ritual can leave young victims in agony and with physical and mental problems that can continue into adulthood.
Sometimes the young person can be taken out of the country or it can happen at home. Either way it is usually carried out in secret and often without anaesthetic, it involves the partial or total removal of the external female genital organs. The procedure can cause:
Victims are usually aged between four and ten, but some are babies.
Childline provides more information and answers questions you may have about FGM. You can also contact Childline on 0800 028 3550 for information and support if you know of someone or have been a victim of FGM.
More information from the Wandsworth Family Information Service.