Alex's Answer

Hello, 

Thank you for contacting us here at Ask Alex, you are very welcome.  

You mention that for the past few months your uncle has been touching you in different areas of your body, and also talking about your body and people dating you. It sounds like this could be making you feel uncomfortable, would that be fair to say? You ask is this sexual assault. Sexual assault can be defined as when someone touches another person’s body in a sexual way without that person’s consent, or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. This could include things like groping, forcibly kissing someone, or any non-consensual sexual activity.  

You are really brave to get in touch with us about this, and we would be concerned to hear that your uncle is treating you in this way. Absolutely no one has the right to touch your body without your consent or to speak about it in ways that you are not comfortable with. This can be a really difficult thing to talk about, but you have done the right thing in contacting us. You can get help and support if you believe you have been sexually assaulted. Speaking to someone you know, can feel scary but you have the right to feel safe and happy in your life. Are there any family members that you might feel comfortable talking to about what’s been happening? Or is there anyone outside of your family that you would trust? You have the right to be protected from this behaviour. 

Rape Crisis Centres around the country, provide support to people who have experienced sexual assault and have a 24-hour helpline for information and guidance. Click here to get to their website www.rapecrisishelp.ie/. There are some articles on the Childline website too that you may find helpful www.childline.ie/what-does-inappropriate-sexual-behaviour-look-like/;  www.childline.ie/what-is-sexual-abuse/

If you would rather speak to someone outside of your family/friends/school, we are always here for you at Childline. You can contact us by clicking the orange Live Chat button on this website, or by calling us on 1800 66 66 66, any time of the day or night. You can talk about as much or as little as you want to. It is important that you let somebody know the way your uncle is behaving towards you. You can go through some options that are available to you  on your call to Childline .

Take care, we hope to hear from you soon.

Alex