Ask Sam letter

Hi,

Thanks for your letter. I can hear that it’s really hard for you not knowing what to do about what has happened.

It sounds as if you would like to tell your mother but can’t decide if this is right or not. Telling someone when you have been abused takes a lot of courage and can be an important first step in getting help to make it stop. Remember abuse is wrong and the person who is being abused has not done anything wrong. Your parents are responsible for caring for you and your father hasn’t done this.

What your father has done is wrong. Nobody should ever hurt or abuse you. You don’t have to keep it a secret. If someone tries to hurt you and you are concerned about your safety can get help by calling 999 to tell the police. You can also talk to them about what he’s done to you by calling or going into your local police station.

It can be hard to tell one parent about what the other parent has been doing to hurt you. A parent should take it seriously when their child tells them they are being hurt or abused. Only you can decide whether to tell her or not. If you want to talk to someone about this you can talk to a ChildLine counsellor on 0800 1111, on 1-2-1 chat or by sending an email.

I’m quite worried about you saying you will not live more. It sounds like you might want to end your life. If you do feel this way then please talk to someone, your mother, a teacher, your doctor, the emergency services or a ChildLine counsellor. You don’t need to be alone with what has happened.

Take care,

Sam