How can I help?What can I do?

Make use of adults or professional helpers who can provide assistance with their knowledge, experience and active support. If there are several friends, you can divide up the tasks and then it won’t be too much for one person. One could talk to the friend; another could ask their own parents what they should do; and one could call the advice centre, get advice, or arrange an appointment.

Find out about the situation. Talk to your parents, call the Jugendamt or an advice centre, describe what you know, talk of your fears and find out what you could do next.

Many people have difficulty asking for help. They are ashamed, stressed and are afraid of saying the wrong things, or else they’re afraid that they won’t be understood or taken seriously. You can’t decide for someone else whether they want to be helped or not. By accompanying them, however, you can make it much easier for them to accept help.

Change is very difficult to impose from the outside.

In an emergency, however, you can act on behalf of another person. If you witness violence, for example, call the police. If your friend is flipping out and threatening to kill herself, call the fire brigade. Only when the acute danger is over is it possible to talk and seek solutions.