My friend needs help

[Guest]

She's too afraid to call any place to get help. Her father raped her, and abuses her. She's tried the police and they won't do anything cause her father's some stupid rich guy. I don't know what to do. I told her I would call the place for her, but I don't know what to do. I know I should call but I don't know what to say. what if they think it's a prank or something?

She's only 15, and she's going through all this junk, she wants to run away, but I don't want her getting into drugs. I said she could stay with me or our friend, but then the whole possibility of being accused of kidnapping.

I told her i would call but now I'm just posting here. I don't know what to do. She won't go anywhere like a church cause of her religion, and ...I don't know. I don't want her getting raped and hurt and stuff.. I don't know what to do.

[ccsmod1]

Re: My friend needs help

Thanks for sending us this message. You sound really worried about your friend’s safety and rightfully so. It sounds like your friend trusts you and looks to you for support through all this. She’s incredibly lucky to have a friend like you in her life. You mentioned that she tried to go to the police, but they weren’t able to help. Do you know if she’s told anyone else? Her dad has no right to ever hurt her and there is absolutely help out there for her. It probably is scary for her to tell someone because she doesn’t know for sure what the outcome will be, and last time she tried she didn't get the help she needed. She’s probably also scared of her dad’s reactions, since he’s proven in the past to be hurtful towards her. Your friend has the right to be safe, happy and comfortable especially in her own home.

Let her know that if she does decide to call us, we’re completely confidential. We would not ask for her name or any identifying information like that (we usually ask what city and state a person is calling from, but that’s only for statistical purposes since we get calls from all over the USA and if she’s not comfortable telling us, she doesn’t have to). We would be more than happy to talk to her about what’s been going on and try to help her figure out a way to be safe.

One option is for her to call the Child Protective Services in her area. Their job is to keep youth, like your friend, safe. If she’s not comfortable calling them herself, we could conference a call with her. That way we could support her through making the report. Just so you know, if for some reason we get her name, dad’s name and a phone number/address we would be mandated to report the abuse. However, we would only have this information if your friend decided to give it to us. You’re also welcome to call CPS directly, since you mentioned you want to tell someone to help her. They would probably ask a lot of questions about what’s been happening, how often it happens, how you know this is going on. Then they’d also want identifying information, such as her name, birthday, address, dad’s name, etc. They would want to do an investigation into the situation and her home life, but more than likely they would want her to get safe immediately. Sometimes it helps to know a little of what to expect if she does decide to reach out for help. We could find the number for your local Child Protective Services if you don’t already have it. We would just need to know what city and state your friend lives in.

There are a few other hotline numbers that would be able to offer your friend support and help.

*Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453. (Press 1 for crisis counselors) They can answer questions about abuse and how to report it. They can also talk to you about what to say when you do call to report the abuse. Their website http://www.childhelp.org has a link to all the local abuse reporting hotlines. (Get Help-Local Phone Numbers)

*RAINN 1-800-656-4673. This is the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network. Their hotline will connect you to your local crisis hotline or counseling center. They also have an online chat via their website, http://www.rainn.org (Get Help-Online Hotline). This might be a safe way for your friend to start reaching out for help and “talking” to someone about her options, if she’s nervous about talking to someone via the phone.

Again, we commend you for trying to help your friend and keep her safe. Her safety is the most important thing. Just remember, there is help out there for your friend! We would be happy to talk to you, or your friend, more in depth about any of this. Our hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY, is available 24/7. Someone is always here and ready to help. Give us (or any of the other above numbers) a call anytime.