Alex's Answer

Hi there, you are very welcome to Ask Alex.  

Well done for reaching out to us for support. It can be difficult to talk about these things, so it was very brave of you to contact us.  

It sounds like both you and your friend have had a lot going on for you lately. It seems like you got angry with the person that touched your friend inappropriately and that is understandable. Nobody has the right to touch anyone inappropriately. You and your friend have the right to talk to a trusted adult about this. Both of you have the right to get some help.  

Just in the same way that this person does not have the right to touch your friend inappropriately, nobody would have the right punch someone either. However, it is very understandable why you would have been angry in this instance, and it can be different if something like this is done in self-defence or when defending others, so perhaps you may not have got in as much trouble if the full story was known.   

We can hear that you want to be loyal to your friend and you want to give your friend the time and space they need to make a decision about what they are going to do. It seems though that you are understandably concerned about the trouble you might face if the full truth of the event is not spoken about.   You would have the right to seek support from an adult around this as you have been affected by this too. If it is the case that you don’t want to talk to an adult that you know, you would be very welcome to talk to an adult in confidence in Childline about this. It might help you to identify a possible solution.  

You can phone us on 1800 66 66 66 or through our Live Chat on www.childline.ie.  Childline services are free and confidential, and are available 24 hours, 7 days a week.   

We really hope you get the support you need.  

Look after yourself, and remember you do not have to go through anything alone

Alex