Sexual Assault & Rape / Question
Published: January 15, 2003
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I am a 13-year-old girl. Every day my teacher Mr. X, this Russian guy, makes me stay after class. He then has this other boy stay in the class. Then, the boy and Mr. X start touching me. They stick their hands down my cloths and put their fingers in my body holes. My question is, am I being raped?
Signed: Am I Being Raped?
Dear Am I Being Raped?,
TeenHealthFX is sorry to hear that you have to deal with this terrible situation. It must be incredibly painful for you - you are very brave to reach out and write to us.
Your teacher touching you and your classmate is absolutely not right. It is not okay for any teacher to touch students 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.
It is very important to tell someone what is happening. Please do not try to handle this on your own - you need help and support to deal with it. Although this can be difficult, you need to make your parents aware of what is happening. It is important that you have 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 find a different trusted adult like another relative, a police officer, guidance counselor/school nurse or your doctor to talk to. 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.
You should know that it is very likely 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 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!
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Adolescents are more likely than young adults to become dependent on prescription medications.
