Sexual Assault & Rape / Question
Published: November 25, 2002
Dear TeenHealthFX,
My P.E. teacher is always touching me while I take showers...what should I do? I am very confused and scared right now. Please ge back to this question ASAP. Signed *
Signed: P.E. Teacher Touching Me While I Take Showers
Dear P.E. Teacher Touching Me While I Take Showers,
TeenHealthFX wants you to know that your P.E. teacher touching while you are in the shower is absolutely not right. It is not okay for an teacher to have touch a student in this manner. Your teacher is taking advantage of his/her position of power and trust. It is important that you know that you are not to blame and that you did not cause this to happen - your trust and your body are being violated.
You need help and support to deal with this is a painful and confusing situation. You need to make your parents aware of what is happening. Although this can be difficult, you will need their support to confront this situation. They will probably be angry with the teacher and your school for violating your trust and your body. If you cannot confide in them right away, you need to talk to a trusted adult like an aunt, a police officer, guidance counselor/school nurse or your doctor. It is very important to tell someone. You may feel intimidated or embarrassed into silence but you must speak out. What happened is not right and will not go away with time. You can also call the child protective service agency in your area, the number here in New Jersey for the Division for Youth and Family Services (DYFS) is 800.792.8610. If you live outside of this area, the number for child protective services is usually listed inside the front cover of the phone book.
Chances are that your teacher will be investigated and may be arrested and charged with a crime. It is important to remember that any consequences he faces are a result of his own actions. You are the victim here - this person took you advantage of you and for that, he or she alone is responsible.
In time, you will need to deal with your feelings regarding the abuse with a professional counselor who is trained to deal with these issues. If you live in northern New Jersey you can call the ACCESS line at Atlantic Behavioral Health at 888.247.1400. You can also contact the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) at (800) 656.HOPE (4673). A counselor at any of these numbers can offer you help, so please call now!
*TeenHealthFX will not publish the names of teens or anyone else who writes in. We do this to preserve the anonymity of everyone who writes in.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
About 44% of rape victims are under age 18. Three out of every twenty victims (15%) are under age 12. 
