It is hard to talk when you are upset or feeling hurt and you might feel embarrassed. These are normal feelings, but if you are being hurt or abused you have done nothing wrong and have nothing to feel embarrassed about. You might not know what to say or where to start. The important thing to remember is that you know best what has been happening and you have a right to be listened to.
It is important that all times you tell the truth and only what you know has really happened, not something someone else has told you to say.
Here are a few things you can do which will make talking easier:
- Have a think about what you want to say, you can write things down if that helps you remember.
- Find a safe place to talk, where you won't be disturbed or overheard, or ask the person who you are telling to take you to a quiet, private place as you have something you need to tell them.
- If you find it hard to talk it is okay to tell the person you are talking that you find it hard to talk
- Phone from a place that is quiet.
- You can also to write a note to an adult who you trust telling them about what is happening. You can email this to a ChildLine worker too. Make sure you write down what happened to you and when. You could show this to the adult you trust. You could show it to someone in your family or a friend. You could even show it to a teacher or someone else in school.