Info for Young People Aged 12 to 18 Years
What is Domestic Abuse?
Domestic abuse is when an adult, like our mum or dad bullies, scares, or tries to control another adult. It happens when we live in the same house or different houses. We can hear, see or feel domestic abuse and it can hurt us.
Abuse can happen in different ways:
- Physical: Hitting, kicking, punching, or pushing.
- Emotional: Putting you down, making you feel bad about yourself, or stopping you from doing things you want to do.
- Financial: Taking money from you or not letting you work.
- Sexual: Touching you in ways you don’t want or without your consent.
It’s important to remember that domestic abuse is never your fault. The person causing harm is responsible for their actions, not you.
At Grampian Women’s Aid, we understand that things might feel overwhelming or confusing, we want you to feel safe when you talk to us.
We will keep everything you say private, unless you ask us to tell someone, or we think you or someone else might be in danger. If we need to share something to keep you, or someone else safe, we’ll make sure you understand what will happen.
You can read more about Grampian Women’s Aid’s Confidentiality and Information Sharing Agreement.
Experiencing Abuse in Your Own Relationship?
Abuse can happen in any relationship, no matter how old you are or who you are with. If you think this might be happening to you, please feel free to contact us.
Here’s how we can help:
- Listen to You: It is important that you feel listened to, believed and understood by us, we will not judge or criticise you.
- Help Your Mum/Main Carer: We will work to support you and your mum; our Women’s Service can help support your mum/main carer through her own journey.
- Help find a Safe Place: If you need a safe place to stay, we can work to help you find somewhere, like a refuge or a place to stay for a little while.
We can also:
- Support Your Feelings and Connect You with Help: We’ll help you talk about and understand your feelings, and if you’d like, connect you with other organisations that can offer support.
- Advocate For You: If you want, we can speak up for you and share your thoughts and feelings with other people and organisations that can help.
- Meet Others: Help you connect with other young people who have been through similar experiences through being part of our advisory group. Please see our ‘Referral Form’ or contact us if wish to be part of this group by email on referrals@grampianwa.com or by telephone on 01224 593381.
- Flexible Meetings: We can meet as often as you need, whether that’s once, weekly, or whenever works best for you. We can meet in a safe place, like your school or a community centre.
If you would like to learn more about our Young Person’s support service, or refer a young person for support please complete our online referral form.
