The Facts... without the Lecture
B4uDecide.ie is closing down at the end of May 2024.
Alternative sources of relationships and sexuality information and resources:
- For 16-25 year olds: SpunOut.ie is an information provision website, including relationships and sexuality issues.
- For 17+ year olds: Sexualwellbeing.ie is the HSE website that provides information and resources on a wide range of information such as consent, contraception, sexual transmitted infections, vaccinations and unplanned pregnancy
- For parents: The HSE’s ‘Making the ‘Big Talk’ many small talks’ series of booklets to help parents and children talk about relationships and sexuality is available online, and to order free of charge from healthpromotion.ie. HSE funded RSE workshops are available at npc.ie and ifpa.ie
- For teachers: Junior Cycle SPHE Resources are available to support the new 2023 SPHE specification , including the Relationship and Sexuality strand.
- For youthworkers: HSE funded training on relationship and sexuality issues is available at REAL U | Foroige and Tailored Training Courses – National Youth Council of Ireland
Unhealthy relationships
All types of people can end up in unhealthy relationships – it doesn’t matter whether you are intelligent, old, young or strong.
If you are in a relationship and you answer yes to any of the questions below, you may in an unhealthy relationship and you need to get help. Talk to your parents or another adult you trust.
- Do they want you to spend all your time with them, and exclude your other friends?
- Are they controlling? Do they try to control what you do, how you look, what you wear, who you talk to, where you go?
- Are they always checking up on you, wanting to know where you are?
- Do they get angry with you if you don’t do what they want you to do?
- Do they make you feel nervous, anxious or even frightened?
- Do they ever put you down, call you names, make you feel stupid, tell you that no-one else likes you, threaten to hurt you or people who are close to you, threaten to hurt himself/herself because of you?
- Do they ever get extremely jealous or possessive of you, constantly text you or accuse you of flirting with other people when you haven’t?
- Do they ever punch, kick, slap, spit, shove, shake, throw things at you, hold you down or hurt you in any other way?
- Do they ever pressure or force you into going further sexually than you want to?
If some or all of these things are happening to you, it is necessary – for your own well being – that you get help and leave this relationship. Talk to your parents or another adult you trust.
Need help?
If reading this makes you think about other relationships in your life, talk to someone you trust. You can visit one of the services on the Support Services page. You can also call or email Childline 1800 66 66 66 or www.childline.ie