i guess abuse not for sure

[Guest]

I am 13 years and i live with my step dad and mom. all they do is call me names and always yelling. i was just wondering if that is emotional or mental abuse. and does watching and filming me naked on camera abuse even if they are not touching me? just confused and bout ready to give up

[ccsmod1]

Re: i guess abuse not for sure

Thanks for posting on our bulletin boards. We’re so sorry to hear all that you’ve been dealing with at home. It sounds like you’re confused about what your step-mom and dad are doing to you. They should never call you names and make you feel bad about yourself; this could absolutely be considered verbal abuse. As far as filming you goes, this is not okay, whether they touch you or not. Who else, if anyone, lives with the three of you? Do they treat other people in your house the same way?

You were very courageous and brave to take the step to write on here today. We know it’s not easy to reach out for help and talk to others about such personal things. Have you told anyone else about all this? Maybe a teacher, friend’s parents, counselor at school? One thing you should know is that you can definitely make a report to the Child Protective Services (CPS) in your area. They’re the organization that is designed to keep youth safe from harm and abuse. This can be a scary thing to do on your own sometimes, so one way we can help you is to conference a call with CPS. If you were to call us, we would talk to you about the situation and how you’re feeling. Then we would call the CPS and conference you in. We would be there to support you through making the report. Even if you’re not sure if you want to make a report, we’d be more than happy to talk to you. Someone’s here 24/7. The number’s 1-800-RUNAWAY. We’re a completely confidential hotline, so you wouldn’t have to worry about us telling anyone what you talk to us about. The only exception to this is if we get your full name, address or phone number, and you parent’s name, then we would be required to file an abuse report, but we don’t need this info to just talk to you. We could talk to you about the different options and what filing a report might entail. We want to help you and advocate for your safety in any way we can.

There are also other hotlines that you can contact to get more information and for support.
*Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453. They’re 24 hours and they’re specifically for talking to people about what is abuse and how to report it.
*RAINN 1-800-656-4673 http://www.rainn.org. They’re also 24 hours. They have an online chat via their website if you’re not comfortable calling directly.

Do you have anyone you trust at school that you might be able to talk to? Just so you all school personal are mandated reporters, meaning if you talk to them, they would have to report it. But if there’s someone you really trust and feel like you could talk to, that may be a safe way to make a report if you choose.

Remember, you have a right to feel safe and be safe in your home. The things that you’re experiencing aren’t okay and there are absolutely people out there that want to help you. We know that’s probably a lot to take in so, take some time to empower yourself. As we said before, we’re always here if you want to talk more in depth about any of this, want help making a report, or need any other sort of information or assistance. We’re always here.

[Guest]

Re: i guess abuse not for sure

[
My younger brother and younger sister lives with us. I haven't said anything to anyone about any of whats going on at the house. been to scared. and yes they treat my siblings the same way and they are 6 and 7 years old. I don't trust anyone cause i'm afraid of alot of people. its just scary. if i call the cps will they take us away from my parents? I ned to know that please





quote="ccsmod1"]Thanks for posting on our bulletin boards. We’re so sorry to hear all that you’ve been dealing with at home. It sounds like you’re confused about what your step-mom and dad are doing to you. They should never call you names and make you feel bad about yourself; this could absolutely be considered verbal abuse. As far as filming you goes, this is not okay, whether they touch you or not. Who else, if anyone, lives with the three of you? Do they treat other people in your house the same way?

You were very courageous and brave to take the step to write on here today. We know it’s not easy to reach out for help and talk to others about such personal things. Have you told anyone else about all this? Maybe a teacher, friend’s parents, counselor at school? One thing you should know is that you can definitely make a report to the Child Protective Services (CPS) in your area. They’re the organization that is designed to keep youth safe from harm and abuse. This can be a scary thing to do on your own sometimes, so one way we can help you is to conference a call with CPS. If you were to call us, we would talk to you about the situation and how you’re feeling. Then we would call the CPS and conference you in. We would be there to support you through making the report. Even if you’re not sure if you want to make a report, we’d be more than happy to talk to you. Someone’s here 24/7. The number’s 1-800-RUNAWAY. We’re a completely confidential hotline, so you wouldn’t have to worry about us telling anyone what you talk to us about. The only exception to this is if we get your full name, address or phone number, and you parent’s name, then we would be required to file an abuse report, but we don’t need this info to just talk to you. We could talk to you about the different options and what filing a report might entail. We want to help you and advocate for your safety in any way we can.

There are also other hotlines that you can contact to get more information and for support.
*Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453. They’re 24 hours and they’re specifically for talking to people about what is abuse and how to report it.
*RAINN 1-800-656-4673 http://www.rainn.org. They’re also 24 hours. They have an online chat via their website if you’re not comfortable calling directly.

Do you have anyone you trust at school that you might be able to talk to? Just so you all school personal are mandated reporters, meaning if you talk to them, they would have to report it. But if there’s someone you really trust and feel like you could talk to, that may be a safe way to make a report if you choose.

Remember, you have a right to feel safe and be safe in your home. The things that you’re experiencing aren’t okay and there are absolutely people out there that want to help you. We know that’s probably a lot to take in so, take some time to empower yourself. As we said before, we’re always here if you want to talk more in depth about any of this, want help making a report, or need any other sort of information or assistance. We’re always here.[/quote]

[ccsmod7]

Re: i guess abuse not for sure

Thanks for writing in again. It's understandable that you may feel nervous about making a CPS report. Child Protective Services generally do not take youth out of there home unless they feel the child is unsafe there.
As said before you have every right to feel safe in your home, so you do have every right to contact somebody about this situation. For the most part, if CPS receives a report, they may decide to send a caseworker out to the home to speak with the youth and the parents. Usually what happens is that the case worker will work with the family to try and come up with a solution for the problem. Sometimes this can include things such as family counseling. It's hard to say exactly what would happen because the proceeder can vary depending on the service agency you're working with.

As said before though if you ever wanted to call and get some more information on this you can always give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We won't do anything you aren't comfortable with, if you want to talk about the situation but don't feel ready to make a report that is just fine. Perhaps if you wanted to talk with a CPS worker in your area, we may be able to conference a call so that you would be able to ask some questions before you decided if you wanted to make a report. We are a completely confidential hotline so the worker wouldn't know any of your information unless you told them. You can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY anytime you want, we are here 24 hours a day. Best of luck with everything and take care.