Hi R
Thank you for your letter. You’ve been very brave, telling me how terrified you are about being pregnant and what will happen if your dad or other family find out.
You’ve also told me you’re pregnant because you were raped. I can’t tell from your letter if anyone else knows about the rape. This is such a serious thing that’s happened to you. When I respond to young people who’ve been raped, I always stress my belief that it wasn’t their fault, that they have every right to report it to the police and that counsellors at ChildLine can give support.
It’s clear you feel very alone right now. You say your family hate you and you think a friend might judge you harshly. You also are trying to think through what you should do about this pregnancy. A ChildLine counsellor can talk with you about being pregnant, how to take care of yourself right now, and what choices you might have in getting help from responsible adults.
Also ChildLine counsellors as well as this website can give you ideas for getting more specific information if you need it. For example, there is organisation called Brook (for young people up to age 25), that has advice on pregnancy and all related issues. Their telephone number is 0808 802 1234 and their website is www.brook.org.uk. Also, if you haven’t already seen them, The ChildLine website has message boards that relate to pregnancy, sexual abuse and many more issues.
At the end of your letter you say you need help. I hope what I’ve said has helped, but I know that ChildLine can do more for you if you can take just one more step and contact us directly. If you feel able to talk, you can call for free on 0800 1111. If you prefer to chat online, you can use our website to chat (like messaging) with a counsellor. Remember, what you tell us is confidential – meaning we don’t tell anyone what you say and we don’t take action unless we think you or someone you know is in immediate danger.
Take care
Sam