If you are a child or a teen, you need to tell someone you trust. Even if the person who hurt you has threatened you or someone else in your family, you need to tell.

• If you are in danger right now, call 911.
• Tell a teacher, your minister or rabbi, your doctor, or some other grown up that you trust.
• Call the South Carolina Child Abuse Hotline at
  1-800-CHILDREN (1-800-244-5373)
• Call the National Child Abuse Hotline at
  1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
• If you are being sexually abused, call the toll free number of From Darkness to Light. 1-866-FOR-LIGHT (1-866-367-5444)
  http://www.darkness2light.org/

If you are an adult, you need to find help to get yourself out of harm's way.

• If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
• The number for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.
  http://www.ncadv.org/gettinghelp/safetyplan.htm
• Contact a local support organization. Call 1-800-260-9293, the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, to find out where you can get help.
  http://www.sccadvasa.org/
• Hotlines and Helplines can be found at the Hands on Health-SC Web site under Health Resources in South Carolina.
• Make a safety plan for yourself, and if necessary, your children. Think about what you could do and where you could go if you are threatened (see links below). Be ready.

To learn more:

next » Family Violence Section Sources

Written by: Laura Cousineau, M.L.S.
Reviewed by: Jim Hernandez, L.M.S.W.
Last Modified: Wednesday March 11, 2015 2:42 PM