I'm a Young Person

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Keeping it to yourself?

If you’re a young person and you’ve been the victim of a crime, you may have reasons for not wanting to tell anyone about it, like:

• you don’t want to grass
• you’re worried that something bad will happen to you if you tell
• there’s nobody you can trust
• you don’t want to talk to the police
• you don’t want to go to court
• you don’t think anyone will take you seriously
• you think it may have been your fault in some way
• you don’t want your parents to find out

Like adults, young people can be victims of many different types of crimes. Some young people can be victims of:

• Assault – where someone has physically hurt you. Find out more or get help by visiting the physical abuse pages on the ChildLine website.
• Bullying and harassment – where someone is constantly making you feel upset or afraid. Find our more or get hlep by visiting the bullying pages on the ChildLine website.
• Theft – where someone has taken something from you without your permission.
• Third party bullying and harassment – where someone is using a social network website or a mobile phone to make you feel upset or afraid. Find out more or get help by visiting the social networking pages on the ChildLine website.
• Sexual assault or rape – where someone has made you take part in something sexual. Find out more or get help by visiting the sexual abuse pages on the ChildLine website.

Want to report it?

If you’ve been the victim of a crime you may feel comfortable to make a report to the police. In Torbay you can report a crime by contacting the Police on 101. In an emergency situation telephone 999.

You can also email youngvictims@torbay.gov.uk.

Want to talk about it?

If you don’t feel okay to report a crime, don’t worry. All victims of crime react in different ways because no one person is the same. If you don’t want to speak to the police and you don’t have anyone else you can talk to, you can call Victim Support 0845 30 30 900 or email supportline@victimsupport.org.uk.

If you want to talk to someone about crime or other issues that you are worried or upset about, you can call ChildLine on 0800 11 11 or visit the Childline Website. 

Want to know your rights?

Every child and young person has rights. The ChildLine website has a lot of information about your rights on things like crime, alcohol, sex and education. Find out more by visiting the Childline Your Rights pages.

Are you being abused?

The word ‘abuse’ can mean lots of things and abuse doesn’t have to be just physical. The important thing to remember is that nobody has the right to hurt a child or young person. To find out more about different types of abuse and how you can make it stop, visit the ChildLine  website.

Remember - if you’re being abused by an adult you can call ChildLine on 0800 11 11.

Remember - if you’re an adult and you are worried that somebody may be abusing a child or young person contact Devon and Cornwall Polce on 101 (non-emergency) and you find more information and advice by visiting the NSPCC  website.

Want to know more?

There are lots of organisations and charities which offer information, advice and support for young victims. Here are just a few of them:

If you’re under 12 you can visit the jnrspace website to find out how you can stay safe at home, at school and when you’re out and about.

If you’re over 12 you can visit the yrspace website. The yrspace website contains loads of information about how to stay safe, how to report a crime and how to get help.

If you’re a victim of domestic abuse or you know someone that is, you can find information and advice on The Hideout website.  

Check out our film-

Safer Communities Torbay has produced a short film about young victims of crime. The film features a number of local young actors. If you’re a young person living in Torbay, you may recognise a few of them.