ABUSE
ABUSE Useful Links & Things
Need information? Don't know who to ask or where to turn? Here
are some useful links and information sources that will respect
YOU and your privacy.
Abuse:
Most of us don't know a lot about Child Abuse - what it is and
what the results can be. This information is written for young
people like you who want to know more. You may be reading this
because you're concerned about yourself or about a friend, or
just because you're interested in the subject.
As you get older, you start making important decisions about
relationships with family and friends, school, and health.
How you feel, how you get along with others, and what you want
out of life are all very important parts of growing up and
living a healthy, happy life. But these are also the things that
are threatened if you are a victim of child abuse.
You might think, Well, I'm not a child any more. But a person is
considered a "child" up to the age of 18 in most states; 17 in
others.
Even if you are older or you are no longer being abused, abuse
can leave a lot of physical or emotional damage. So it's
important to take steps to end the abuse if it is still
happening and to begin to heal yourself emotionally so you can
get on with your life.
In the pages that follow, we talk about what child abuse is and
what it is not. We also talk about some of the reasons that
child abuse happens and why it is so important for abused teens
to get help for themselves and, hopefully, for their families.
Then, we talk about how and where to get that help.
What is child abuse? What are the different kinds of abuse?
Abuse is a family problem The abuse is not your fault What are
the signs of abuse? Dealing with the feelings Revealing the
secret Getting someone to listen Where to get help Take the
first step Need to talk?
One Kid's Story
Running Away
What comes to mind when you think of kids who run away from
home? Teenagers off on an adventure, looking for a good time?
Kids who can return home when it doesn't work out?
Or maybe you think of the kids who make trouble at school? Who
don't want to listen to their parents or anybody? Who just want
to do what they want to do?
Or perhaps you think of young people with lots of problems and
parents who don't care?
Really, there's no one way to describe young people who run away
or who are homeless, or to describe the backgrounds they come
from. They are males and females; from rich families and poor
families. They may be your daughter or sister, nephew or friend.
Links that might help: Who runs away? Why young people run What
parents and friends should look for Preventing running away What
you need to think about What happens on the street: meet Mike
Options Mike thought about If your child has run A letter from
the street If you need to talk
Suicide
Most young people end up killing themselves because they simply
don't know where else to turn. They are in some kind of pain
that seems unbearable and they want the pain to stop. They end
up stopping their entire lives just because they didn't know
what else to do.
Here are some links that might help: Why do people kill
themselves? Suicide warning signs What do you know about
suicide? Need to talk?
http://joanbramsch.com eens eenlinks.shtml