Helpfor Child Victims

This section is for anyone seeking help, or adults helping a suffering child who is not your own.

Are you being abused? If punishment regularly causes bleeding, or leaves marks on your body, you may be a victim of physical abuse. If you are under 18 and unwillingly providing sexual gratification to someone, you may be a victim of child sexual abuse. You can check for signs and symptoms of abuse here:

Signs and Symptoms:

Physical Abuse | Sexual Abuse | Emotional Abuse | Neglect

If this is happening to you, here are some important things for you to know:

  • No one has the right to abuse you.
  • You don’t deserve to be abused.
  • If you are being abused, you are a victim.
  • It’s not your fault that you are being treated this way.
  • It is wrong that you are suffering this pain, fear or sadness.
  • You are not alone. Other kids suffer abuse, too.
  • Sometimes abusers scare or threaten kids so they won’t tell.
  • There are people who care about you and want to help you.

If you are being abused, please tell a safe person – that’s someone you can trust like a teacher, counselor, school nurse, neighbor or parent.

There are places you can call for advice and help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

Childhelp USA Hotline counselors can help you. They work with translators, and there is probably one that speaks your language. They don’t know who you are and you don’t have to tell them. CALL 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) then push 1 to talk to a hotline counselor.

The Runaway Hotline can help if you have run away or are thinking about it. They help you help yourself by talking through your problems and helping you find a plan of action. CALL 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929). They can help you find a safe place to go.

How to protect yourself:

  • Do not be alone with anyone who hurts you.
  • Listen to the little voice inside when it says that what is being done to you isn’t right.
  • Find an adult you trust and tell them what is happening. If the first adult doesn’t believe you, keep telling until someone does believe you.

The adult you talk to about your abuse may want to tell the police or child protective services about the person who is hurting you. If they don’t know the telephone number to call to make the report, every person seeking help from Justice for Children MUST ccomplete the Intake Form on the right. If the child in need is not related to you, we may still be able to help.

Need Help? click an option below

Start the process of getting help, or getting help for a child in need, now.

Intake Form

Protective Order Form

Formulario de orden de protección

Ayudar a un niño que lo necesita ahora.

Learn More! click an option below

Justice for Children assists and refers several thousand callers annually through the complicated and unsympathetic maze of governmental agencies established to protect abused children. Advocating for an abused or neglected child takes on many different forms of participation and involvement. These include researching and gathering supporting documentation; reviewing supporting documentation; referring persons to professionals; guiding them through the legal and judicial process; initiating child abuse investigations; generating advocacy correspondence and amicus briefs; and acting as facilitator of professional services.

Justice for Children has proposed and drafted legislation to improve the laws pertaining not only to child abuse and child protection, but also laws concerning the funding for protective services. We have also presented legislation designed to make the legal process more child-friendly. Additionally, because of its experience in this area, Justice for Children receives numerous requests to provide testimony regarding various pieces of legislation around the country.

Justice for Children is involved in a variety of legal research projects and has contributed to amicus briefs, researching legal issues and providing data on important legal issues affecting the rights of abused children.

Justice for Children has traditionally provided information and materials to combat child abuse and to educate the public of the signs and symptoms of child abuse or neglect in its efforts to interrupt its dismal cycle. In 2012, it is initiating a project called “Just in Time”, to develop a series of informational and instructional modules to be placed on its website. Each is designed specifically to aid a field on the front lines of identifying and re-mediating child abuse: the community, medical first responders, school personnel, pediatricians, court personnel, and counseling professionals.

We seek to collaborate with other concerned national and community leaders, professionals, institutions, non-profit organizations, and governmental agencies to further a common goal of solving the deficiencies in our present child protective systems. By expanding our relationships within the community and on a national level, we are working to create a system that will effectively handle a child’s initial report of abuse, provide immediate safety, and ultimately, prosecute and convict the child abuser.

Justice for Children’s expert opinion continues to be recognized and valued by local and national media, legal and medical professionals, child abuse experts, and various other children’s rights organizations. We have been featured on ABC’s Primetime Live, ABC’s prime-time documentary entitled ‘Crimes Against Children,’ a PBS documentary entitled ‘Boy Crying, Baby Crying,” as well as appearances on Good Morning America, Donahue, the Discovery channel’s “Justice Files,’ HBO and in 2011, the BBC.

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