Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is when another person is hurting your body on purpose. The person hurting you could be anybody, but it is often someone that you know – a family member, carer, friend, boyfriend or girlfriend, or another adult or young person.

It is never ok to hurt someone else or for someone else to hurt you, so you should not feel like you need to keep the abuse a secret. Your abuser might tell you not to tell anyone, or try to make you feel bad or guilty by saying that you deserved it, but it is important to get help because otherwise they might keep hurting you if they think they can get away with it.

Physical abuse is anything that someone does to hurt your body, it doesn’t matter how much or little they hurt you. It could include

• punching
• hitting you with an object or throwing something at you
• burning
• cutting
• pinching
• slapping
• strangling
• scratching
• kicking
• shaking
• suffocating
• making you eat or drink things that hurt

These are only a few examples, and it may be something different for you.

What to do if you are experiencing physical abuse

Being in a situation where you are scared of what someone might do is hard. If you feel like you are not safe, you should contact the police, social services, or an organisation that can help you like Runaway Helpline on 116 000. You can also reach out to people who you trust in your life to stand by you for emotional support. It could be a good idea to take photos of any marks/injuries left by the abuse to use as evidence.