NCJ Number
200111
Editor(s)
Alisa Klein
Date Published
2002
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This document reports on an expert panel meeting convened by STOP IT NOW! to discuss the creation of a child abuse prevention campaign.
Abstract
STOP IT NOW! believes that preventing child abuse from happening in the first place is a better approach to combat the problem than is our current approach of dealing with the aftermath of the abuse. Our policies, criminal justice system, and social service agencies are geared to respond to child sexual abuse after it has happened. A public health approach to the problem of child abuse would focus on stopping the abuse before it starts by building collaborative networks of service providers and other stakeholders who would focus on reaching abusers before they abuse. The document presents some of the challenges this public health campaign will face, including gaining an understanding of who abusers are and how they can be helped before they abuse a child. Another challenge is the silence that surrounds child sexual abuse; when no one talks about the problem, it becomes more difficult to combat it. The document then details the steps necessary to begin the child abuse prevention campaign. These steps include creating a vision, creating a marketing campaign to overcome the conspiracy of silence surrounding child sexual abuse, and building a collaborative network of individuals and agencies that will help prevent child abuse. The document lists the expert panelists involved in the panel meeting and lists the STOP IT NOW! Board of Directors and the national staff and site partners.