Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

It’s so brave of you to tell me about what happened to you in the past. I’m really concerned to hear that someone tried to rape you - this is wrong and shouldn’t happen to anyone. It would be okay to tell an adult you trust about what happened – this could be someone like a parent or teacher. You’ve done nothing wrong and it’s important that you know what’s happened isn’t your fault.

It’s normal to sometimes worry about missing a period. When girls first start their periods, they aren’t always regular. Maybe this is what’s happening for you. It’s also quite normal for your hormones to be all over the place when your periods start. Reading our information about puberty for girls might help answer some questions. 

I can understand you are worried because once your periods have started it is possible to become pregnant after sex. If you really think you might be pregnant, it’s important to take a test to find out. This is something you could think about asking your mum to do with you, but if you want to find out on your own then you can get free pregnancy tests without having to tell your mum. Brook has some good advice about where you can get a free test.

If you wanted to talk to someone about this first you might want to contacting a ChildLine counsellor.

You said the boy who sexually assaulted you didn’t know about puberty, only sex. As he is only 8 he may not understand very much about sex either. It doesn’t make it okay that he did this to you, but if you tell someone they may want to try and get him some help as well.

Find out more about asking an adult for help.

If you are ever in a situation again where you feel you may be in danger, you can call 999 to get help.

Well done for getting in touch - I hope this helps.

Take care,
Sam