Children should not be afraid to speak up following the death of a 14-year-old at a Glasgow train station at the weekend.
Charity chiefs have reassured young people worried about reporting concerns they will "stay 100 per cent anonymous" if they are brave enough to speak out.
Crimestoppers issued a statement in the wake of Justin McLaughlin death following an incident at High Street station on Saturday afternoon.
Scotland manager Angela Parker explained: "Many of the comments on social media over the weekend were from parents expressing how frightened they are for their own sons and daughters when they go out.
"Thankfully, tragic incidents like this are very rare, however one death is too many. No family should ever lose someone so precious to them, in such a senseless way."
Police launched a murder inquiry after Justin died shortly after being rushed to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
A 16-year-old has since been arrested in connection with the incident.
Ms Parker added: "Sometimes young people can be frightened of the consequences of speaking up. They often feel afraid of the stigma that it could bring or from threats of violence or reprisal to them or their family.
"So, my message to young people is that if something is bothering you then you need to speak up about it – no matter how difficult that seems. Unless you do, things will stay the same or, potentially, get worse.
"Our charity’s youth service Fearless.org is here for you – you’ll stay 100 per cent anonymous, meaning no one will ever know you contacted us.
"And for adults in our community, please talk to your young people and tell them about our service and give them a tangible way to make their communities safer before anyone else is badly hurt or killed.”
Lyndsay McDade is the charity's national youth coordinator.
She pointed out: "Violent crime and weapon possession has reduced considerably in Scotland over the past decade but, as a mum, I know that can be of absolutely no comfort to the family of 14-year-old Justin McLaughlin.
“Young people want to live safe lives. They don’t want to see their families or friends get hurt. They want their communities to be safe and happy places but sometimes things happen and quickly it all becomes out of control.
“That's where our charity comes in. Fearless.org allows young people to speak up with information about crime 100 per cent anonymously. That means our charity can't track your IP address or any contact details. Nobody will ever know the information came from you.”
If anyone wishes to contact Crimestoppers they can on 0800 555 111.
