My best friend is in an abusive home

[Unregistered]

her mom is abusing her(hitting her, pushing her around, throwing her in cold showers) and her father doesn't care and just watches. she has an older sister who lies about her and i'm really concerened she doesn't want me and our other friend to say anything to our parents, but i am going to soon. i'm really concerend for her she's a tiny girl(15 4'11 just barely 100 pounds) and she has 2 younger siblings(11 sis and 4 bro) and i'm worried for them too. her father has hit her little brother

[ccsmod1]

RE: My best friend is in an abusive home

Hi There,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your friend is in a very difficult and dangerous situation at home! Hopefully she knows that she doesn’t deserve to be hit or physically hurt in any way! That this is considered abuse, and she has the right to report it. She could call the police or Child Protective Services. If she is not comfortable doing this, she could ask an adult she trusts to do this for her. This could be a family member, a teacher or counselor at school, or even a friend’s parent. Maybe they could let the police know what she is going through. If she is able to get to a safe place to use the phone, she can us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are here 24 hours a day/7 days a week. We can help her file an abuse report, if that is what she wishes to do.

Another resources that might be helpful is Child Help USA. Child Help is a group that works with youth who are being abused. She can call them at 1-800-422-4453 or check out their website at www.childhelp.org.

Your friend is very fortunate to have you to confide in…you are very strong and brave to be there! It sounds like you’ve considered telling your parents what’s going on. Hopefully this means you feel they could be helpful in this situation. Please remember that either of you can contact us via phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). This way we can work together to help her find a solution. We also offer a Live Chat service that opens at 4:30 today. For other times, please visit our website at www.1800RUNAWAY.org. We really look forward to hearing from you all. Please take care!

Best,

NRS