How can I get help if I am a child or teen who is being abused?

Call the National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453). Some kids are afraid to report the abuse because they fear punishment, loss of love, or family dishonor for telling a secret.

The hotline will make sure you are protected from further abuse. They will help you to report the abuse to an agency that will make sure you are safe. The hotline staff members will call Child Protective Services or the police and stay on the line in a three-way call to help you talk to the agency. Even if you have told the person who is abusing you that you will keep a secret about the things you do together, it is okay to call the hotline and get help for yourself.

The hotline can help you find ongoing support from caring adults. It is not your fault that you are being abused, and you need help from other adults to protect your safety. If the abuse is within your own family, you need protection while your family learns new ways to act with each other.

You may wish to learn to protect yourself against someone who may try to abuse you. Several organizations can teach you to say "No" with words and by your actions.

I'm a victim of Domestic Abuse; how can I get help?
Abuse in America - On the average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends every day.

Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233); 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). You can also reach them at www.ndvh.org.

Hotline Services Include: Crisis intervention, safety planning, information about domestic violence and referrals to local service providers; A direct connection to domestic violence resources available in the caller’s area provided by a Hotline advocate; Assistance in both English and Spanish with Hotline advocates having access to more than 140 different languages through interpreter services.

How do I get help if I think I may abuse a child, or if I have already abused a child?

Call the National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).   The hotline can talk you through a parenting or caretaking crisis and offer guidance about how to better handle the situation. You need help and support. The hotline can find out about parenting support groups for you to attend, or local counselors who can talk with you.

To educate yourself about discipline techniques that work better than physical punishment, refer to the links at the end of this article.

I am a child abuse survivor; where can I get help?

The National Child Abuse Hotline can lead you to a support group in your community for survivors of child abuse, or they can offer one-on-one support: 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)

Child abuse is a trauma, and you may have developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You may find that you are more fearful than other people, as if the traumatic event were occurring in the present. You may also re-experience the trauma with flashbacks and nightmares. And you may have become unresponsive and numb to other people and events as a way of protecting yourself psychologically. Given support in a safe environment and from caring individuals, you may be able to recover psychologically.