Domestic abuse can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter what gender, race, sex, sexuality, religion, or class they are. Domestic abuse can affect people under the age of 18, including teenagers and young people in relationships. It can also happen to older people: there is no age limit.

There is help available for people from all walks of life if they are being affected by domestic abuse. To find out more about support available, visit our How Can I Get Help webpage. 

Behaviour like this happening once isn’t okay. You don’t have to put up with any behaviour that tries to control what you do, hurts you or makes you feel scared or upset. An episode of abusive behaviour can also become a pattern of abuse in the future. It’s okay to seek help or talk to someone as soon as anything you think might be abusive happens.

Relationship abuse can happen to anyone. You don’t have to be 18+ and don’t have to be living together for this to happen. Relationship abuse is also common amongst young people.

To get support:

• If you are 16 or over, you can call our 24 hour helpline on: 0113 246 0401. You can also email Leeds Domestic Violence Service at [email protected]. Our helpline and email are for people of any gender. If you are a young woman aged 16 or over, you can chat to us online on our live chat on our website.
• If you are under 16, you can call Childline on 0800 1111.

The following websites and resources could also be useful:

• The Childline website section on ‘Friends, relationships and sex‘.
• Women’s Aid Love Respect website aimed at teenage girls and young women at risk of relationship abuse with advice and young people’s stories around relationships. 
  

You can also find out more places you can talk to on our “How Can I Get Help” webpage.

A child or young person can be hurt in a family where domestic abuse is happening between family members who are aged 16 or over. If this is what you are experiencing, the drop-down box below can provide more support and information. 

But children and young people can also be hurt when no-one else in your family or household is being hurt by domestic abuse. This could be child abuse. If you think this is happening to you, there are lots of people that can support you.

Child abuse can take lots of different forms, just as domestic abuse can. It can be: physical; emotional; and/or sexual. It can also take other forms. Child abuse can be caused by grown ups or other young people. They could be people in your family or outside of your family like a sports coach, teacher, school friends, people you met online or someone you feel you are in a relationship with. 

If you are being scared, hurt or made to feel unsafe in any way, please remember that this is never your fault and you are not alone. It could be good to talk to someone you trust or a trained person on a helpline to find out how you can get help. To find out more about abuse and safety, visit the Childline website here. To find out more places you can talk to, please visit our “How Can I Get Help” webpage

In families where domestic abuse is happening, it is sadly very common for children and young people in that family to be affected. Children can be scared or upset from seeing the abuse and / or can be directly hurt by the person or people causing the abuse.

Recently, the law changed to make children and young people victims of domestic abuse in their own right if they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse and are related to the person being abused or the person causing abuse. This means that children and young people should soon be able to access more support if they have been affected by domestic abuse. 

Whatever is happening, it is important to remember that if someone is hurting you, it is never your fault and you are not alone. To find out more on who you can talk to, you can visit our How Can I Get Help? webpage. You can also read more about children who have been affected by domestic abuse on our Young People’s Stories webpage.