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Sometimes we think the word 'abuse' is a bad or dirty word and try not to talk about it. If you are going to keep yourself and your mates safe then you must be able to talk about it without feeling embarrassed.
There are four types of abuse. Each one is as serious as the other, so don't be fooled into thinking any of them are ok...ok!
1. Physical abuse
This is all about somebody hurting a child's body. Purposely hitting, kicking, shaking or throwing someone around is all called physical abuse.
DID YOU KNOW…Poisoning someone is physical abuse…instead of hurting the outside of the body, poisoning hurts the inside.
2. Neglect
Neglect means to not look after something. So, if a child is not properly looked after then they are being neglected. If a child does not get fed properly, if they are forced to live in horrible, filthy places; if their homes are too cold or too hot then their needs are being neglected.
REMEMBER…just because your Mum tries to encourage you to eat sprouts instead of pizza 24/7 does not mean you are not being fed properly! This is serious stuff…some children are never fed at all!
3. Sexual abuse (This is the one people get embarrassed to talk about!)
This means that a child is forced or 'talked into' doing things that they really do not want to do such as sex, touching or prostitution.
DON'T FORGET… Even if someone forces you to simply look at pornography (dirty pictures) it is classed as sexual abuse!
4. Emotional abuse
Emotions are how we feel - happy sad, worried. Emotional abuse is when people make us feel really bad about ourselves. Being told you are 'no good' all the time, being shouted at constantly, being told you are not loved, or punished really harshly are all types of emotional abuse.
AMAZING FACT… Strangely enough, being over protected and never being allowed to do anything for yourself is also a form of emotional abuse. This is because all children need some space to learn how to cope in the world…stopping a child from playing with friends or going to school is like keeping a dolphin in a fish bowl!
And finally - fabricated illness
Well, this is a strange one. Sometimes, when children have very severe M.E. their families have been accused of making up their illness…just pretending that their child is ill. In fact, some have been accused of abusing their child by making them have a made up illness! Sadly, there have been times when children have been taken away from their homes and families.
DON'T WORRY…this does not happen very often, in fact, it is very rare. Because we know so much more about M.E. now there has to be a proper investigation and proof has to be found before anything like that can happen.
