How You Might Feel

Your experience of being harmed, and how you respond to the harm is individual to you.

For many, being hurt can be shocking, scary, upsetting and undermine your idea of who you are. It can affect every part of your life, making it hard to talk about your feelings and making you scared to leave your home.

You may have any questions and worries such as:

• Why did it happen?
• Was it deliberate?
• Will it happen again?

Young people are at more risk of having a crime committed against them than adults and many more young people will have experience of being harmed than you may realise.

These are completely natural reactions. It is important that you know you have the right to feel safe, who to ask for support from, and that you know that you are not alone.