If you know someone is being abused...

Sometimes it can be very hard if you know someone who is being abused and they don’t want you to tell anyone about it or no one else knows about it. Sometimes kids are afraid to break their promises to their friends not to tell. Try not to promise anyone that you won’t tell about child abuse. If you have promised that you won’t tell, this might be one of the very few times it is okay to break a promise because it can be very hard on a person to be abused and it is very important to get them help. If you are worried someone is being abused you can call your state’s child abuse telephone number and talk to someone who can help. You do not have to tell them any names unless you feel comfortable.

If you are being abused by a family member...

It can be really hard if a family member is abusing you. Sometimes it can be very hard for a kid to tell for a lot of reasons and these reasons can be different for each kid. Some of the reasons kids say it was hard to tell are:

they are afraid the person hurting them will get into trouble and they care about this person
other people in the family will be upset
they are worried that the person they tell won’t believe them and may even be angry
they think it was their fault
they feel embarrassed or ashamed
they are afraid other people will find out
they are afraid the person who abused them will hurt them more or hurt someone or something they love

Even though it can be very hard, it is important to try to get help for yourself if you are being abused. If you tell a caring adult, he or she will most likely try to help you by calling the child protection agency in your state. You can also call them yourself if you want to (click here for phone numbers). They will usually send out a social worker who will try and help you and your family. The social worker will try to help your parent or the person taking care of you to take care of you in a better way. What happens next depends on your special situation and what would be best for you and your family.

If you are being abused by someone outside your family...

It can also be very hard if someone who is not in your family is abusing you. Sometimes it can be very hard for a kid to tell for a lot of reasons and these reasons can be different for each kid. Some of the reasons kids say it was hard to tell are a lot like the reasons we just talked about. These include:

the person who abused you is a trusted friend of yours or your family
you think no one will believe you and people will get mad at you
the person who abused you will say you made it up
the person who abused you will get into trouble
the person who abused you will get mad and want to get even
it’s very embarrassing
you think it’s your fault

Even though it is hard, it is important to try to get help for yourself. Sometimes you can ask your parents for help or another adult or older teenager that you trust. You can also call the child protection agency in your state (click here for phone numbers) and talk with them. They can help you figure out what to do. You don’t have to tell them any names until you feel comfortable.

 

The following is a list of State child abuse phone numbers. If your State is not on the list, or if you are calling for a friend in a different State, you can call 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453).

Alaska (AK)
1-800-478-4444

Arizona (AZ)
1-888-SOS-CHILD
(1-888-767-2445)

Arkansas (AR)
1-800-482-5964

Connecticut (CT)
1-800-842-2288
1-800-624-5518 (TDD/hearing impaired)

Delaware (DE)
1-800-292-9582

Florida (FL)
1-800-96-ABUSE
(1-800-962-2873)

Illinois (IL)
1-800-252-2873

Indiana (IN)
1-800-800-5556

Iowa (IA)
1-800-362-2178

Kansas (KS)
1-800-922-5330

Kentucky (KY)
800-752-6200

Maine (ME)
800-452-1999

Maryland (MD)
800-332-6347

Massachusetts (MA)
800-792-5200

Michigan (MI)
800-942-4357

Mississippi (MS)
800-222-8000

Missouri (MO)
800-392-3738

Montana (MT)
800-332-6100

Nebraska (NE)
800-652-1999

Nevada (NV)
800-992-5757

New Hampshire (NH)
800-894-5533

New Jersey (NJ)
800-792-8610
800-835-5510 (TDD/hearing impaired)

New Mexico (NM)
800-797-3260

 

New York (NY)
800-342-3720

North Dakota (ND)
800-245-3736

Oklahoma (OK)
800-522-3511

Oregon (OR)
800-854-3508, ext. 2402

Pennsylvania (PA)
800-932-0313

Rhode Island (RI)
800-RI-CHILD
(800-742-4453)

Texas (TX)
800-252-5400

Utah (UT)
800-678-9399

Virginia (VA)
800-552-7096

Washington (WA)
800-562-5624

West Virginia (WV)
800-352-6513

Wyoming (WY)
800-457-3659

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Last Updated: June 23, 2003