NCJ Number
198107
Journal
Prevention Researcher Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 5-8
Date Published
November 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the types of prevention of adolescent sexual offending.
Abstract
There are three levels of sexual abuse prevention: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The goal of primary prevention is to prevent sexual abuse before it occurs. It puts responsibility on the would-be abuser to not sexually abuse others. The goal of secondary prevention is to teach people how to avoid becoming victims. It includes child sexual abuse prevention and awareness programs in schools; rape awareness, prevention, and education; and self-defense classes. The goal of tertiary prevention is to stop the abuse from continuing. This involves treating victims of sexual abuse and teaching them ways to avoid and/or prevent sexual abuse from happening again. Treating sexual abusers and helping them learn ways to not sexually abuse again is another form of tertiary prevention. Many sexual abusers exploit a child’s curiosity, need for attention, and lack of knowledge about sexuality. Understanding the potential for repeat victimization is also important to prevention. To reduce sexual abuse, citizens must work on preventing it from occurring. STOP IT NOW! is a national organization established to introduce a new approach to preventing the sexual abuse of children. Its mission is to make child sexual abuse a recognized public health issue, and shift attitudes and behaviors similar to other organization’s effects on public health issues such as drunk driving and smoking. This program targets abusers and potential abusers, adults that may know an abuser, and the parents of sexually abusing youth. The goals of the campaign are to challenge abusers to stop their abuse immediately and seek treatment; empower family, peers, and friends to confront abusing behaviors; educate parents about the differences between healthy sexual development and sexual abuse; create a social climate that will not tolerate child sexual abuse; and build public knowledge about what to do when warning signs of an abuser are visible.