Abuse of any kind is sick and disgusting. For one person to try and control another person is wrong, and to try and do so through abuse is doubly so. Whether emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, no one has the right to do such things to another human being. Nobody asks to be abused, and if they are, it's not their fault. If you know someone who has been abused, be supportive of them and encourage them to talk about it and maybe to go see a counsellor. If you yourself have been abused, it's not your fault, and please, for your sake, tell someone you trust about it so that you can get past it and get on with your life.
There are several types of abuse. There's physical abuse, where someone hits you or hurts you; there's emotional abuse, which is usually a result of other forms of abuse; there's mental abuse (at least that's what I think of it as), and I think of that as when people play mind games with you and call you down/say you're worthless, etc.; and there's sexual abuse, everything from rape and date rape to molestation, it's when someone touches you sexually when you don't want it. We want you to be able to find information on these forms of abuse, so we thought we'd help. Here we have info on the different types of abuse, as well as books you can read to learn more, and places you can go to learn more and/or get help.
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Familial abuse (my term for it) is abuse from someone in your family. It's when a parent, or if you're married, your spouse, kicks, slaps, burns, puches, or shoves you around. It can start with a slap and end in murder. It's a crime, no matter who does it. If you have experienced this, let someone you trust know about it. If someone you know has experienced this, let them talk about it and support them, don't laugh at them or call them down for it, or anything like that. Just think, if this happened to you, what would you think of someone who laughed at you or called you down? You wouldn't think of them as much of a friend, right?
At the Squamish Public Library, we have a couple of books about it, so if you want to know more about it, come on down here and read 'em.
Some of the books we have on it include Degrassi Talks. . .Abuse, (you'll see me mention this one all throughout the abuse section, because it has info on all types of abuse); and Intimate Violence, (which talks about abuse in the home, though it's in the American home, it would still have good info in it).
There's also the Kid's Help Line Website at http://kidshelp.sympatico.ca where they have some info on abuse, as well as the number to call for more info.
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Date rape is when the person you are dating (maybe your boyfriend or girlfriend) forces you to do sexual things with them, like sex or touching, when you don't want to. It's rape, and worse, it's by someone you (probably) like and trust.
It can make a person confused, and probably guilty (because they think that they must have done something to encourage it/ask for it, or that they could have done something to stop the offender). The person who has been date raped is the victim. If they did not want it, they are not to blame. The person who did this to her/him, is the sick one. NOBODY ASKS TO BE RAPED! If you have been date raped, tell a trusted friend or family member. They will (most likely) be supportive, and if you tell them, they can help you recover from the trauma of being date raped.
To learn more about date rape, come to the Squamish Public Library and pick up a book. We have several books here about it, including Degrassi Talks . . . Abuse, (you'll see me mention this one all throughout the abuse section, because it has info on all types of abuse). Or, you can go to the Kids Help Website, by clicking below.
You can get info on date rape from the Kid's Help Line Website at http://kidshelp.sympatico.ca
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Sexual abuse is when someone tries to touch or come into contact with someone in a sexual manner, causing discomfort of any kind. It can happen to boys or girls, at any age. The worst part is, it quite often is done by someone you know and trust. So if you think you or someone you know has been abused sexually, tell a trusted friend or family member, but not the one you think is doing it, and get them to help you make it stop. The person you tell will (hopefully) be supportive of you, and if they don't help, you can always tell a trusted teacher or school counsellor.
Here at the Squamish Public Library, we have books that you can read to get more info about it, like Degrassi Talks . . . Abuse, (you'll see me mention this one all throughout the abuse section, because it has info on all types of abuse).
You can also get some info on sexual abuse at http://kidshelp.sympatico.ca, the Kid's Help Line Website.
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