Childline receives 6,000 calls from young people struggling with sexuality and gender identity
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Children as young as 11 were among those dealing with bullying and suicidal thoughts.
By Ewan Somerville
Children as young as 11 were among the 6,000 cries for help to Childline last year from young people struggling with their sexuality and gender identity.
Counsellors at Childline saw 16 cases each day related to sexuality and gender issues such as bullying and suicidal thoughts last year, with 409 of these among 11 year-olds or younger.
Children’s charity NSPCC, which runs Childline, also saw a 40 per cent increase in young people struggling with ‘coming out’ to their parents between 2017-2018 and 2018-2019, and homophobic bullying was mentioned in 573 calls and emails to the service.
The Childline webpage advising those who identify as transgender saw an 80 per cent hike in page views in the last year alone.
‘My parents don’t understand me’
One boy told counsellors: ‘I have been feeling depressed and suicidal for about three years. My parents don’t understand me at all. I came o...
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