#WeBelieveYou
We believe you.
Before you explain anything. Before you have proof, or the right words, or the whole story straight. You do not have to convince us first.
You can write to us about any of this.
- Someone is pressuring you for pictures, or has pictures and is using them against you
- Something is happening at home and you have not told anyone
- Someone older is being very interested in you and you cannot explain why it feels wrong
- Someone you were with hurt you, and you keep wondering if it counts
- It happened a long time ago and you have never said it out loud
- You are scared of someone and you do not know what to do next
- You are worried about a friend and do not know how to help her
- You do not need anything. You just want one person to know.
Any of those is enough of a reason. You do not have to be in an emergency to deserve someone's attention.
Our promise
What we will do.
- Believe you. We will not ask what you were wearing, why you went, why you stayed, or why you waited. None of that is the point.
- Move at your pace. You decide what happens next. Every single step is yours to refuse, including all of them.
- Never pressure you to report. Some people want the police involved and some never will. Both are allowed here.
- Tell you the truth. Including when the answer is hard, and including what we cannot promise.
- Stay. Not one conversation. For as long as you want us.
- Keep it yours. Your story belongs to you. If you ever decide you want to tell it — in a school, out loud, to help the next girl — we will help you do it safely, on your terms, and you can change your mind at any point. Here is exactly how we handle that.
What we won't do
- Tell anyone your story. What you write here is confidential — the one exception is the under-18 reporting law explained below, and we tell you before we act on it.
- Use you to raise money. Not your words, not your photograph, not "a girl we helped". Not ever, with or without permission.
- Ask you to speak. Some survivors decide later that they want to, and that door is open — but the offer has to come from you, and we will never go looking for it.
- Photograph you or ask you to appear in anything.
- Tell you what you should have done differently.
- Give your information to anyone who asks for it.
- Disappear after the first message.
If we ever break one of these, tell us, and tell our board. Both are reachable from the contact page.
Why you should be careful with us too
You have no reason to trust us yet.
Plenty of places say they help. Some of them are lying. Some of them meant it once and stopped. If you are being careful about who you talk to, that instinct is correct and we are not going to talk you out of it.
So check us before you tell us anything. Our money is public. Our mistakes are published. We never put the people we help in our fundraising, and nobody here is ever alone with a young person. If any of that ever stops being true, you should walk away.
Before you write
Two honest things, so nothing surprises you later.
If you are under 18, we may have to tell someone
We are telling you this before you write, not after, because finding out afterward would feel like a betrayal and you have had enough of those.
If you are under 18 and you tell us that an adult is hurting you or has hurt you, the law requires us to report it to child protective services or the police. We cannot promise to keep that secret, and we will not pretend otherwise to get you to talk.
What we can promise: we will tell you before we do it, we will explain what happens next, and you will not go through it alone. If you want to understand how this works before you say anything, write and ask us that first — asking a question is not a disclosure.
If you want to talk to someone with stronger confidentiality protections, a rape crisis advocate usually has them. 1-800-656-4673 (RAINN) will connect you to one near you.
This form is not watched at 3 a.m.
A real person reads every message, usually within a day or two. But it is people, not a call centre, and nobody is sitting here overnight.
If tonight is the problem, please use 988 (call or text), text HOME to 741741, or 1-800-656-4673. They are free, they are awake, and they will not think you are overreacting.
Staying safe on your own device
If the person you are worried about can see your phone or computer, please read this first.
The Leave this site button at the top of this page sends you somewhere neutral quickly — but it does not erase your history. Nothing on a website can do that.
Safer: open a private window before you visit us (Cmd+Shift+N on a Mac, Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows, or "Private Tab" on a phone). Or use a friend's phone, a school computer, or a library. If you have already visited, you can clear this page from your history in your browser settings.
When you tell us how to reach you, tell us honestly whether it is safe for us to leave a message. We will follow exactly what you say.
Write to us
You can say as much or as little as you want.
One sentence is a complete message. "Something happened and I don't know what to do" is a complete message. You do not have to organise it or make it make sense.
You do not have to give your name. The only thing we genuinely need is a way to reach you back that is safe for you.
Most of them don't come to us because they need something. They come because they've been carrying it alone and they want one person to say: I believe you, and none of this was your fault.