If you’re reading this article, perhaps you or someone close to you is going through a very difficult time. It’s important to know that you’re not alone and that there are adults and organisations who can help you, even if it feels hard to talk about it.

What is physical or sexual abuse?

You are being physically abused if the person in question – whether a child or an adult – deliberately hits you on any part of your body with their hand, foot or an object, pushes you or shoves you, whether or not this leaves marks on your body (such as bruises), and their actions cause you physical and psychological suffering.

You are being sexually abused if that person, whether a minor or an adult, touches you or forces you to do things of a sexual nature, against your will or without you understanding what is happening. By ‘sexual acts’, I mean: touching your private parts without your consent, showing you adult images or films, asking you to watch whilst they engage in sexual acts, or asking you to perform various sexual acts for them. Even if that person is an adult you know and trust, and who has never physically harmed you in any way (a parent, teacher, neighbour, etc.), they are not allowed to do anything sexual with you!

How can you tell someone that you’ve been abused?

Even if you’re scared or feel ashamed, the most important thing is to tell someone you trust. There are several ways to do this:

Talk to a trusted adult: a parent (if they are not the abuser), a teacher, the school counsellor at your school, another family member (an older brother, uncle or aunt), an older friend, or your friends’ parents.
Call an emergency number
If you don’t want to (or can’t) speak directly to someone you know, you can call one of these numbers free of charge:

► Child Helpline – 116 111: this is a free service, available at any time, any day, where you can speak to a counsellor specially trained to listen to you and help you.

► Police – 112: you can call the Romanian Police emergency number in the event of an emergency or immediate danger.

► General Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC): known simply as ‘Child Protection’; there is a DGASPC in every county and in every sector (if you live in Bucharest). They specialise in protecting children. To find the number to call, search online for ‘Child Protection’ along with the county or sector where you live. For example, if you live in Sector 1 of Bucharest, you would search online for ‘Child Protection Sector 1’.

► You will also find a contact form and a telephone number you can call on this website, in the ‘Contact’ section.

If you find it difficult to talk about it or don’t know where to start, you can say: ‘I need help’ or ‘Something bad has happened to me’, and the person you’re talking to will then help you by asking questions to understand what’s going on.

Also, if you tell an adult what’s happening to you and they don’t take any action or aren’t convinced that it’s really happening to you, call one of the contact numbers above and tell them about the situation you’re going through.

Useful websites:

Home – Child Helpline

Romanian Police – Police – Emergency number 112

DGASMB | General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest

Article written by Patricia Aramă, clinical psychologist and expert psychologist, specialising in the assessment and forensic psychological evaluation of children