Well, if you aren't even close to a melee and get TKed then it's a reportable offense. If you are actually trying to fight in a melee with people swinging two-handers all over the place, then it's harder. Some weapons (the "unbalanced" ones) aren't something you stop mid-swing, and in general the heavier fighters prefer to have some swinging-space to be able to hit from multiple directions. A peasant in the way that can't really kill anything is minor collateral damage in those situations.
As a tiny peasant I recommend getting a pitch fork or the cheapest scythe since it lets you keep a distance, and can thrust when you get the opportunity. Your damage is crap, but polearms can cause long interrupts on people if they hit, and you can stop horses in their tracks, so you can be of some use other than a meat-shield.
Thankfully leveling at low levels is very fast, and at level 15 or so you'll feel you can actually do something, and at 20-25 you can actually manage melees pretty good as long as you know your blocking and footwork.