Need advice helping a little kid
I’m a guy, looking for advice to help a little girl. [Kid, if your’e seeing this, reddit is no place for kids your age. Get off -_-]
Context - I am not related to the girl, I just know her from my gym. We take boxing classes together. She’s 14. I’m 27.When I was leaving the city for a month, I added people from the gym to my Insta, this kid was one of them. 1. The kid has low self confidence. She’s a cute little kid, but she doesn’t feel so. 2. She was in an abusive relationship in the past with a guy significantly older than her, but she ended it. Only later she realised it was toxic. 3. She joined my gym to learn some self-defence, and one of the coaches started being a creep (he is atleast a decade older than her, fucking creep!) (this happened after I left the city, so I couldn’t help her directly)
The problem - She reached out to me, over Insta, seeking help with the 3rd problem from above. I gave whatever advice I could, but suggested that telling her parents is better. Her mom dealt with the situation later. A few days after that, she started opening up a little, and told me she has a history of harming herself. And her parents, although aware of the scenario, don’t seem to understand how serious mental health is. She gave me a lot more detail, which might not be needed here, but the crux is - low self esteem resulting in self harm, and opening her up to abuse by others around her.
I suggested she should seek professional help, but that doesn’t seem to be possible. She talks to her school counsellor at times, looks like it helps but not a lot. I talked to my old therapist about this - she said the kid needs professional help. When I told her that might not be possible, she said the best I can do is just keep doing what I was already doing - listen to her pain and guide her to a better path by being a good role model.
The question - what do I do? How can I help her? And why is abuse so common in India, that too to kids? I didn’t reach out to any official helpline because I’m worried how the parents might react. She is a bright kid, sounds pretty smart. Hurts to see her go through this.
I can give her advice from my side, but I’m neither a girl, nor have I ever been in such a situation, so I wouldn’t know the best course of action.
In case your’e wondering why I care - I know I can’t save the world. But if I can help even a single kid, I wanna do anything I possibly can. Plus, I have a niece her age, it’s gut-wrenching to picture her in such a situation.