Child Abuse Prevention
Program Deemed a Success

ATLANTA (Reuters Health) -- Results from a program that focuses on reaching out to child sexual abusers rather than teaching children how to protect themselves underscores the potential of this approach, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The pilot program called STOP IT NOW!, located in Vermont, addresses child sexual abuse as a public health issue, according to the report in the February 9th issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

``Public health techniques offer a unique opportunity to prevent child abuse,'' Joan Tabachnick, with STOP IT NOW!, told Reuters Health. ``We have created a social marketing campaign targeted towards adults, including abusers and people who know abusers,'' she said.

The social marketing approach is based upon the success of other campaigns to stop drinking and driving, to stop smoking in public places, and to promote safer sex practices, program officials note in a written report.

One success is that in the last four years, 118 child abusers in Vermont (20 adults and 98 adolescents) turned themselves in--''not because of a victim report, but because they took responsibility for their abuse,'' Tabachnick said. ``In Vermont there are 500 to 600 reports of child abuse a year, so it is a significant percent.''

Another encouraging result is the number of Vermont residents who could properly describe child sexual abuse, which increased from 44.5% in 1995 to 84.8% in 1999.

The public health intervention includes a media campaign to increase awareness among Vermont residents, an outreach campaign targeting high-risk families, and a helpline to answer questions about child sex abuse.

``No-one else in the country is trying this approach,'' Tabachnick said. ``Given the success we've had in Vermont, we are testing a pilot program in Philadelphia and developing agreements with Minnesota, Idaho, and the UK as well.''

However, according to Tabachnick, this kind of program wouldn't work in a number of states. ``We chose Vermont because they have treatment programs throughout the state, as well as in prison--abusers can be guaranteed treatment if they turn themselves in,'' she said.

``We are getting more and more information that an abuser is usually someone the child knows and trusts,'' she said. ``As adults we need to take the burden of prevention from children's shoulders and put it where it belongs, with adults.''

SOURCE: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2001;50:77-78, 87.

Reference Source 89

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