e are really sorry to hear you're going through this, and it’s so brave of you to reach out. Abuse is never okay, no matter what, and it’s important that you don’t try to deal with this on your own. You deserve to be safe and treated with respect.
The first step is to talk to someone you trust, whether that's a friend, parent, teacher, counsellor or another trusted adult. If it feels too hard to say out loud, you can always write it down or message someone for help.
Calling Kids Helpline is a good place to start – they are super friendly, open 24/7 and can help you no matter who is abusing you. Call 1800 55 1800, or they have a webchat option - https://kidshelpline.com.au/get-help/webchat-counselling . They are able to help anyone aged 5 – 25yo.
In Cairns, there are also these services:
For support for sexual abuse: True Family & Child Service (you can call 4281 6893),
For domestic &/or family violence support: Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service (4033 6100), where they can offer support and advice on what steps to take to stay safe.
You don't have to handle this alone — there are people who want to help you. If you're in immediate danger, please don’t wait. Call 000, or talk to someone as soon as you can. You deserve to live without fear, and there are people ready to help you.
Bullying is never okay, even when someone might be a bit (or a lot) different to you.
People might bully others because they’re feeling insecure, unhappy, or trying to fit in – but it’s never the right way to deal with those feelings.
Remember, we’re all different and unique, and that’s what makes the world interesting and beautiful. Everyone has their own strengths, weaknesses, and experiences that shape who they are. It's important to celebrate these differences and treat each other with respect and kindness.
If you ever feel the urge to bully or see it happening, try to talk to a someone you trust to unpack the feels behind it. Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued just the way they are. You could talk to a trusted adult, or even call Kids Helpline to talk about it 1800 55 1800.
Good question! Both bullying and harassment are unwelcome and inappropriate behaviors that make people feel unsafe due to an imbalance of power. Both bullying and harassment are incredibly hard to stop due to this cycle of power, so it’s important the victim is supported either by peers or adults.
Harassment is defined as a single action whereas bullying is defined as being a repeated behaviour. Both should be reported immediately to avoid serious impacts and consequences.
In the Respect Me program, we do talk a fair bit about violence against men in addition to violence against women. In Australia, about 1 in 16 males are physically abused by their partners, 1 in 20 are sexually abused, and 1 in 2 experience violence in the community – also usually from other men in places like clubs and other entertainment venues. However, the majority of the victims/survivors of intimate partner violence are female (about 4 - 5 times more women than men), and they experience a repeated pattern of abuse from their partners - so we have more scenarios/examples in the program that reflect that fact. The statistics come from thousands of people being surveyed and interviewed as part of the Census and research studies as well as hospital and police data.
This does not mean in any way that women can’t be abusive. 1 in 6 men experience emotional abuse in their lifetime, and there is evidence that both men and women use emotional, social and financial abuse in relationships. Women can also be physically violent, but less often and generally with less physical impact.
Intimate partner violence is a problem that affects all of us, and we want to work together to create a safer community that supports men, women and gender diverse people to have safe and healthy relationships. If you would like more information on male victim/survivors of intimate partner violence, as well as ways men can participate in creating a safer and more equal world, we recommend Mensline https://mensline.org.au/family-violence/
