Girl, 15 “When I was 10, I was just sitting down one day and everything flashed through my head and I realized I had been molested and that I needed to tell someone...”
Boy, 16 “If I had told someone right away, I could have gotten help. I wouldn’t have felt like no one could understand what I was going through. I needed to know that I wasn’t alone.”
Girl, 19 “I was a victim of sexual abuse when I was a child...and I never told. I regret it almost every day. I just want to help kids not make the same mistake that I did.”
Girl, 14“…I decided to tell my mom first. I didn’t like the idea that she didn’t know what had happened to her own daughter in her own house.”
Girl, 16 “(Telling) was the hardest thing I have ever had to do, but it changed my life…I'm much happier living in foster care. Even if I had the chance, I would never go back home to my family. The group home I'm in now is my real home.”
More than even the bad feelings that often happen when someone has crossed the line and done something inappropriatelyInappropriate means "not proper" or "wrong." You may have heard the phrase, "inappropriate touching." This is a way of describing physical contact that is not acceptable between an adult and a child. It usually means touching in a way that is obviously sexual, or even something that seems like more than just affection. sexual is the belief that we must keep those feelings – feelings like confusion, anger, or sadness – to ourselves. Sometimes the feeling that we are alone, with no one to talk to, is the worst part! But guess what?
You are not alone.
FIRST – you are not alone because, unfortunately, many kids are victims of sexual abuse. It happens a lot, even though it should not.
SECOND – you are not alone because, whether you realize it or not, lots of good people want to help you. People here at JustTell, and also people in your own life and in your community.
We are going to help you figure out what to do about your situation. Click the + bar below if you want to continue.
I'm good. Please tell me more.
We know it takes courageYay for courage!
to even read some of this stuff, because it can make those bad feelings come up. If you need to take a break and come back later, that's cool, we will still be here for you! So what is sexual abuse? What is meant by being molested? (Sexual abuse is also called molesting). Sexual abuse is anything sexual that happens between a kid and someone older. The older person may not even be a grown up – it could be an older kid. It may include touching, or it may not. That's one of the things that can make it confusing! Sometimes it’s obvious that a situation between a kid and someone older has become sexual. Like if the older person touches or kisses a child in private placesLike where your bathing suit goes – your penis, your vagina, your breasts or your bottom.
or kisses them romantically on the mouth, maybe using their tongue. Sometimes the older person makes the kid touch the older person’s private parts, or makes a kid touch their own body in front of the adult. Sometimes the grownup touches their own sexual parts in front of a kid. But sometimes it isn’t touching. Sexual abuse also includes talking about sex to a kid or making a kid watch sexual videos or look at sexual pictures. Or maybe the older person watches a kid undress or take a bath. Here is what you need to know: It is ALWAYS WRONG for anyone to do any of those things with you. What if you are not sure? A kid usually thinks it feels ‘weird’ or ‘gross’ or ‘icky’, but the older person enjoys it. Trust your feelings. If you think what someone did with you is wrong, then it probably is. Click Here to learn about telling
We know it takes courageYay for courage!to even read some of this stuff, because it can make those bad feelings come up. If you need to take a break and come back later, that's cool, we will still be here for you! So what is sexual abuse? What is meant by being molested? (Sexual abuse is also called molesting). Sexual abuse is anything sexual that happens between a kid and someone older. The older person may not even be a grown up – it could be an older kid. It may include touching, or it may not. That's one of the things that can make it confusing! Sometimes it’s obvious that a situation between a kid and someone older has become sexual. Like if the older person touches or kisses a child in private placesLike where your bathing suit goes – your penis, your vagina, your breasts or your bottom.
or kisses them romantically on the mouth, maybe using their tongue. Sometimes the older person makes the kid touch the older person’s private parts, or makes a kid touch their own body in front of the adult. Sometimes the grownup touches their own sexual parts in front of a kid. But sometimes it isn’t touching. Sexual abuse also includes talking about sex to a kid or making a kid watch sexual videos or look at sexual pictures. Or maybe the older person watches a kid undress or take a bath. Here is what you need to know: It is ALWAYS WRONG for anyone to do any of those things with you. What if you are not sure? A kid usually thinks it feels ‘weird’ or ‘gross’ or ‘icky’, but the older person enjoys it. Trust your feelings. If you think what someone did with you is wrong, then it probably is. Click Here to learn about telling