Ask Sam letter

Hi there,

Thank you for having the courage to write this very important letter to me.

Thinking that you could be pregnant can be really scary, especially if you are not sure who to talk to or what to do next. It’s important for you to have support with this. 

Taking a pregnancy test would help you be sure whether you are or are not pregnant and you do not say if you already have taken a test or not. If not, you can get a test done at your doctors or you can buy a test from your pharmacy or supermarket, which you could do yourself. It sounds as though you do not have any support or anyone to talk to at home, so please remember that ChildLine are always there to help you through each little step of this difficult time.

Brook is a confidential organisation (that means they won’t tell anyone) where you can get advice on sexual health and pregnancy. It's a service for young people and they offer some really good information about pregnancy and how to get some support. You can look at the Brook website which also tells you where your nearest Brook clinic is and you could have a free pregnancy test done there, if you need to.

I’m really concerned to hear how your cousin forces you to have sexual contact with him. I can only think that this has been so very tough for you. Making you do something sexual in this way is sexual abuse, which is wrong and against the law. It is important for you to know that you have not done anything wrong and you have been really brave in writing to me.

I know you feel your family would not understand your situation but I would really like you to have someone you can talk to, as this feels really big to deal with by yourself.

A ChildLine counsellor could help you to work out what you would like to happen next and explain how some other organisations could also help with all of this. The counsellor will not make you do anything that you are not ready to do, or don’t feel happy with. ChildLine counsellors know how important it is for you to feel in control of what happens next or who you might like to tell. You can ring 0800 1111 to check in with a counsellor and calls are free, or you could log in for a 1-2-1 chat, or send an email.

To start to find out about more support, you could take a look our information about abuse and safety and also the information on pregnancy.

Please remember, you don’t have to keep all this inside, there are lots of people who would like to give you the support you deserve.

Thanks again for your letter.

Take care

Sam