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Healthy Relationships in a digital world

Signposting to Support

999

In an emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger.

If you can’t speak, call 999 from a mobile and press 55 when prompted. This tells the police it’s a genuine emergency (the Silent Solution). Pressing 55 doesn’t reveal your location, so give any detail you safely can.

101

To report digital harassment, online extortion, or image-based abuse that is not an emergency.

Fraud and scams have their own reporting route. See Scam and fraud prevention below.

Staying safe online

If someone is monitoring your devices, be careful how you look for help:

use another device

Use a device the other person can’t access, such as a friend’s phone or a college/library computer.

Browse privately

Use private/incognito browsing, and clear your history when you’re done.

exit instantly

A quick-exit button on the live web page will take you away instantly.

What does a healthy relationship look like?

Healthy relationships, with a partner, friends, or family, are built on respect, trust, and feeling safe to be yourself. They aren’t perfect, but they leave you feeling supported rather than controlled or afraid.

Signs it’s healthy

  • You feel respected and listened to
  • You can disagree without fear
  • You keep your own friends, space, and choices
  • Trust and honesty go both ways
  • You feel safe and free to be you

Signs to be aware of

  • Someone controls your phone, money, or movements
  • You feel pressured, threatened, or afraid
  • You’re cut off from friends or family
  • Put-downs, jealousy, or constant blame
  • Pressure into anything you don’t want to do

If some of this feels familiar, it’s not your fault, and support is available.

If intimate images have been shared, or someone is threatening to

Having an intimate image shared without your consent, or being threatened with it, can be frightening and overwhelming. Please know that help is available and things can be put right.

You are not in trouble

If this happens to you or someone you know, remember that college support staff, trusted adults, and the police are there to protect you and your privacy, not to criminalise you.

Images can be removed

The quicker a trusted adult or support agency is involved, the faster they can work with social media platforms to get the image reported, taken down, and hidden from view.

Stopping further harm

In some cases, reaching out to the police is an important step to stop the person from doing the same thing to others.

Where to get help right now

Talk to a parent, a college tutor, other trusted adult or contact Childline anytime. It is completely confidential, safe, and they have specialised tools to help you get images removed from the internet.

Call: 0800 1111

You can contact the Revenge Porn Helpline for free, confidential support and expert advice on how to handle intimate images shared without your consent.

Call: 0345 6000 459

Confidential Hotlines

All of these are free and confidential. You can contact them whether something feels seriously wrong or you just want to talk it through.

Domestic & Sexual Abuse Helpline

Support for all women and men in NI

Call: 0808 802 1414 (Free/24-7)

Lifeline NI

For anyone in NI experiencing distress or despair.

Call: 0808 808 8000 (Free/24-7)

Childline

Confidential support for anyone under 19.

Call: 0800 1111 (Free/24-7)

The Rowan (SARC)

Specialist support for anyone in NI who has experienced sexual violence.

Call: 0800 389 4424 (Free/24-7)

Nexus NI

Support for those impacted by sexual abuse or abusive relationships.

Call: 028 9032 6803 (Free/24-7)

Women’s Aid NI

Support for women and children across NI. Find your local hub at womensaidni.org.

Men’s Advisory Project (MAP):

For male-specific support call 028 9024 1929 (Belfast) or 028 7116 0001 (Foyle)

Cara-Friend

Specialist support for LGBTQ+ people call 028 9089 0202

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)

Call 101 (or 999 in an active emergency) to report digital harassment, online extortion, or image abuse directly to law enforcement.

PSNI Silent Solution

The Silent Solution is a police system used to filter out large numbers of accidental or hoax 999 calls. It also exists to help people who are unable to speak, but who genuinely need police assistance.

Harassment and Image Reporting

The right service depends on your age. Choose the one that applies to you.

Childline
Report Remove

Report Remove is here to help young people under 18 in the UK to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and remove them from the internet.

Revenge Porn Helpline

You can contact the Revenge Porn Helpline for free, confidential support and expert advice on how to handle intimate images shared without your consent.

Stop Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse (StopNCII)

StopNCII.org is a free tool designed to support victims of Non-Consensual Intimate Image (NCII) abuse.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)

Call 101 (or 999 in an active emergency) to report digital harassment, online extortion, or image abuse directly to law enforcement.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF)

The UK’s anonymous reporting portal to flag and completely eliminate child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from the web.

Report Harmful Content (RHC)

A dedicated national reporting portal that helps individuals report legal but harmful material directly to social media networks for rapid removal.

CEOP safety centre

Are you worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online?

Our safety centre

Block, Mute and Report on a number of platforms.

Scam and Fraud Prevention

If you’ve been targeted by a scam or fraud, these are the right routes to report it. This is separate from the police emergency line, but always call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.

Report Fraud

Submit screenshots, transactions, and digital scam evidence directly via reportfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040 for official, non-judgmental law enforcement investigation.

ScamwiseNI

Spotting and Reporting Scams

All Regions

Genitourinary Medicine and HIV Clinic

Common Youth: C-Card Scheme

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Belfast HSCT

Sexual health and HIV services

Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Service

South Eastern HSCT

Sexual Health Service

Abortion Service (Tulip Service)

Northern HSCT

Youth Engagement Service (YES)

Sexual Health Service

Contraceptive Services

Southern HSCT

GUM (Genito Urinary Medicine)

Contraception Clinic

Western HSCT

Genitourinary Medicine and HIV Clinic

Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

Abortion Service (Cedar Clinic)

Our Safety Centre

Learn how to Block, Mute and Report on a number of platforms.