Citation

MMWR Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep. 2001; 50(5): 77-8, 87.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, (in public domain), Publisher U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11686290

Abstract

Public health social marketing campaigns have targeted adults to prevent drinking and driving, smoking, and human immunodeficiency virus transmission; however, adults have not been targeted for prevention of child sexual abuse. In Vermont, STOP IT NOW! addresses child sexual abuse systematically as a public health issue by using social marketing and public education to emphasize the responsibility of adults for prevention. As one component of STOP IT NOW!, Vermont sex offender treatment providers and state attorneys' offices were surveyed in September 1997 to assess self-reported abuse by adults and adolescents. This report summarizes the results of the survey, which indicate that some adults who abuse will turn themselves in voluntarily for treatment despite mandated reporting to the legal system, and some parents will intervene to seek help for their children who have sexual behavior problems even without a victim's report. Continued studies are needed to evaluate this approach to preventing child sexual abuse.

Language: en