Staying safe


Bullying Group Women

Staying safe is about making sure that you are safe from harm and that you are able to make choices.  

  
Abuse is when someone hurts you or treats you badly. 
  

Abuse is always wrong. There are different kinds of abuse.  

  
Physical abuse is when someone hurts you, for example, by hitting, kicking or biting.  

  
Sexual abuse when someone touches your body or your private parts in ways that you do not want to happen.
  

Here are some types of sexual abuse

  • kissing you
     
  • touching you
     
  • making you touch them
     
  • having sex with you when you do not want it.  

Emotional abuse is when people talk to you in nasty ways.

Here are some ways of emotional abuse

  • threatening you
     
  • shouting at you
      
  • teasing you
      
  • swearing at you
      
  • ignoring you
  • treating you like a child. 

Neglect is when people who are supposed to help you do not look after you properly. Here are some types of neglect

  • if you are not given enough food
      
  • if you are not taken to the doctors if you are ill.     

Financial Abuse is when people take your money or things which belong to you. 
 

Discrimination Sexual

Discrimination is when people treat you unfairly.

Examples of discrimination are when people treat you unfairly because

  • of your skin colour
      
  • your disability
      
  • your age
      
  • your religion
      
  • because you are lesbian or gay. 
      
Woman helping

If these things happen to you should tell someone that you trust.  

You could tell  

  • Someone in your family 
      
  • Your friend 
      
  • Your Connexions Personal Adviser 
      
  • Your teacher or tutor 
      
  • Your social worker 
      
  • Your youth worker.