Physical abuse is when someone uses force on your body. If this person is trying to hurt you, intimidate, or humiliate you, it is abuse. When you are being physically abused, you might feel physical pain. You could also be feeling terrible about yourself, the person, or the situation.
Physical abusers use violence to get control over others. Abusers make excuses like: “I was upset/having a bad day”, or “you deserved it”.
The scariest part of physical abuse is that you can get extremely hurt. You can also be in lots of danger. At worst, it can lead to death. If you think you are in immediate danger, you should go somewhere you feel safe, and/or contact the police.
How can I deal with physical abuse?
Do whatever you feel comfortable doing about the situation. You are the only one who knows your situation best. You can make the best decision about how to stop your abuser. You can:
- Talk to your abuser about the problem.
- Set boundaries for the relationship. Tell them that you will leave if these limits are crossed.
- If you are dating someone who keeps abusing you, leaving them is hard, but can be really good for you.
- If you live in an abusive home, tell an adult you trust. This can be a teacher or friend’s parent who can help.
- Call a helpline:
- Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868
- Assaulted Women’s Helpline at 1-866-863-0511 or TTY (teletype for people who are hard of hearing) at 1-866-863-7868.
I don’t feel safe at home - Where can I go?
If you feel unsafe in your house, you can go to a friend’s house. You can also go to an emergency shelter. These shelters are usually a safe place to stay, have food, and on-site counselling. Each shelter has different rules and services. There are shelters for:
- Youth
- Women
- Queer Youth
- Young Men
- Non-English speakers
If you think a shelter would be good for you, read more about shelters here:
Protect Yourself - Make a Safety Plan!
A safety plan (or, escape plan) is a plan you make to protect yourself against abuse. To make a safety plan, think of people you can call to talk to, or places you can go, if you need space from your abuser.
These resources can help you - they are worksheets from TheSafeSpace.Org. Creating a safety plan by yourself can be hard. Think about asking a counsellor or a friend to help you fill the worksheets out.
Print version
PDF version
Comments
what if my friend is pregnant
what if my friend is pregnant and she needs to get out of a relationship to save her and the baby
Re: what if my friend is pregnant
Hi Anonymous,
As a young mother, your friend can get help from a few agencies. I'm not sure where she lives in Ontario, but here are a few places to find help:
Your friend can also call the Assaulted Women's Helpline 1-866-863-0511 or (TTY - teletype for people who are hard of hearing). They can provide support to her if she has questions about how to get out of an abusive relationship.
Hope this helps!
i dont get why people get
i dont get why people get babuse its wrong what thay are doing like what has happened to me