What is rape and abuse?

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What is Rape and Abuse?

Rape and abuse can take on many forms. Below some types of abuse are defined. Whether you feel you have been a victim of a type of abuse that is listed here or one that is not, TeenHelp is here for you. It is okay to reach out for help.

• Child abuse is the violence, mistreatment or neglect that a child or adolescent may experience while in the care of someone they either trust or depend on, such as a parent, sibling, other relative, caregiver or guardian.
  • Neglect ranges from abandonment to the failure to provide or withholding of basic necessities (food, shelter, clothing), care (medical care, good hygiene), emotional support (affection, support), education, and more. Neglect often results in a persons emotional state being impaired.

• Physical abuse may consist of just one incident or it may happen repeatedly. It involves deliberately using force against someone in such a way that they are either injured or at risk of being injured. It may be any kind of beating, whipping, paddling, punching, slapping, hitting, pushing, shoving, shaking, kicking, throwing, pinching, biting, choking, or hair-pulling, burning with cigarettes, scalding water, or other hot objects, assaulting with a weapon and other actions that cause physical injury, leave marks, or produce significant physical pain.

• Emotional abuse occurs when yelling and anger go too far or when someone constantly belittles, threatens, dismisses or withholds affection from you until your self-esteem and feelings of self-worth are damaged. For example, emotional abuse may include verbal threats, social isolation, intimidation, exploitation, telling someone he or she is "no good", "worthless", "bad", or "a mistake", using derogatory terms to describe someone, name-calling, shaming or humiliating, habitual scapegoating or blaming, or terrorizing someone or routinely making unreasonable demands.

• Sexual abuse is sexual contact with any person without consent of that person, or any type of sexual contact between an adult and child.
  • Rape (sexual assault) is knowingly engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with any person without consent of that person. It is a felony. (Note: Legal definitions of rape and sexual assault vary from one area to another.)
  • Acquaintance rape occurs when someone you know compels you to have sexual intercourse against your will. Acquaintance rape can occur if you are passed out, too drunk to refuse, too frightened to argue, or when you do not give consent. Acquaintance rape is sexual assault.
  • Statutory rape is the criminal offense that occurs when a person has sexual relations with another person who is not old enough to legally consent to having sexual relations.

No matter what, if you are a victim of rape or abuse you are not to blame. If you feel you have been the victim of abuse, reach out for help; you are not alone.

For hotline numbers, check out the Hotlines thread.