Stop It Now!

The final Circles of Safety prevention training dates in 2024 have been scheduled!

Stop It Now! is hosting Circles of Safety: Awareness to Action in September and November, and Circles of Safety: Training of Trainers in December.

Secure your position in one of these essential trainings today, and make the world a safer place for children!

https://conta.cc/46smrVx

As adults, we have a responsibility to be proactive.

Educate yourselves and your kids about using devices, apps, and other online tools safely by accessing our list of resources for online safety: https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/resources-for-online-safety

When s*xually abusive behavior occurs online, some children may not even realize they are being abused or exploited; and those who do still may not tell anyone, especially if they have broken a safety rule or believe their social media or internet privileges may be taken away.

Learn how to recognize when this behavior may have occurred and what to do next:
https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/warning-signs-a-young-person-may-be-the-target-of-s*xual-abuse-online

Like any new situation, keeping children safe, whether in an online community like Facebook or in their own neighborhoods and homes requires parents to stay involved.

Read all of our advice for how you can keep your kids safe as they engage with Facebook and all other social media by going to the link in our bio, selecting the "Resources" button, and choosing this post's graphic.

The Internet, and social media specifically, have become an engaging part of our everyday lives, but it's not always easy to navigate them safely. This is especially true for young people.

Learn how you can help keep kids safe online at various ages in their adolescence by reading our tip sheet: https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/keeping-children-and-youth-safe-online

Happy Pride Day! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

We believe every child, youth, and adult deserves a safe, healthy, and happy life.

(Image courtesy of the Children's Bureau Learning and Coordination Center - visit their page for more resources related to Pride Month!)

Throughout June we have shared resources to access if you are worried that someone you love could be harming a child.

You may view all of these resources together in June's Monthly Resource Newsletter, https://conta.cc/3RI6QLm.

These resources will support you, but never be afraid to reach out to stopitnow.org/get-immediate-help if you are concerned. Help is available!

Talking about s*x is never easy. Talking about s*xual abuse is even harder, especially when you care about the people involved. But your gut feeling is a reaction to something real that you have seen or heard.

Many people have shared with us that in hindsight they wished that they had followed up on an intuition or pursued a concern they had.

Learn the many ways you can prepare to take action and break the silence to create a safer environment for your child: https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/how-to-prepare-for-a-complex-conversation

This week, Now! Director Jenny Coleman is attending Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's annual Conference, an international conference featuring the latest research, practice, and experience in the prevention of child s*xual abuse.

Our youth program, WhatsOK, will be included by our partners at the Center for Violence Research Prevention as part of a panel discussion, "Introducing Prevention Global. Building Evidence of Effective Prevention" at 2:00pm tomorrow (in the first floor theater). So, if you are at the conference this week like Jenny we encourage you to attend!

Not all adults understand how to maintain safe and appropriate boundaries with youth.

The behaviors listed in this tip sheet may indicate a possible risk of s*xual abuse to a child: https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/warning-signs-adult-at-risk

Questioning a close adult’s behaviors is not easy, but is a vital step to preventing abuse.

When you see something that makes you have that “gut feeling,” it’s so important that you dig a little deeper and not ignore what you’re noticing.

Read how we advised this worried parent to act next: https://www.stopitnow.org/advice-column-entry/im-worried-about-my-boyfriends-behavior-with-my-daughter

In response to Now!'s and presentation on at the 31st The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children Colloquium, Executive Director of The World Childhood Foundation USA, Mary L. Pulido, PhD, wrote this piece recognizing the need for more exceptional youth resources like WhatsOK.

"The onus should not just be on the children to defend themselves. We need to identify the young teens who are perpetrating abuse and offer them support and services so that these behaviors are extinguished, and they do not grow into adult perpetrators."

https://medium.com//lets-consider-another-way-to-protect-children-from-child-s*xual-abuse-perpetrator-prevention-by-e5ce460fa852

With guest expert Molly Froelich, this webinar from 2019 shares stories and concerns from Helpline callers who are worried that someone they love is s*xually abusing a child.

We take a deeper dive into warning signs in adult’s behaviors, building the audience’s confidence so they can identify when an adult’s behaviors are crossing boundaries and are not safe. We also discuss resources and services to support adults with problematic and abusive s*xual behaviors, and focus on building skills to have a conversation with an adult whose behaviors are a warning sign or even abusive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec4yCF4m0Kk

We'd like to invite you once again to join us in celebrating Joan Tabachnick as our 2024 Founder's Award honoree!

Two weeks from now, on Thursday, June 20, we will present Joan with her award and enjoy a panel discussion of experts sharing past achievements and future goals of prevention work.

The Founder's Award is given in honor of the compassion and hope that Now!'s founder, Fran Henry, courageously and brilliantly brought to the field of child s*xual abuse prevention. Joan embodies this compassion and strength, and she has been essential not only as one of Now!'s original, closest companions and consultants, but also as a force for prevention in the world at large.

Register for free and learn about our wonderful panelists at the link below.

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/u84jv6f/lp/dd063e72-c35a-48de-bebd-1bc82de8fb1a

We are honored that our WhatsOK project is recognized as promising by the Moore Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Royal Mental Health Centre.

In the next 18 months, we'll continue rigorous evaluation through The Center for Violence Prevention Research to continue scaling, adapting and delivering effective prevention resources to youth ages 14-21.

Together with this impressive list of peers, researchers and partners, we can stop child s*xual abuse before it starts – and demonstrate that prevention is well worth the investment.

Home | Prevention Global Prevention Global is the hub for insights into the effective prevention of child s*xual abuse perpetration. Our resources highlight rigorously vetted programs, profile leading organizations, and provide cutting-edge analyses of the opportunities and challenges in prevention.Child s*xual abuse is pr...

We are excited to share that our sister organization, Stop It Now Australia, is offering a new invaluable resource.

Get Help! Australia provides a FREE and ANONYMOUS online psycho-educational program designed to help individuals recognize problematic attitudes and behaviors related to online s*xual behavior towards children, and work towards positive change. The program offers a range of modules containing educational resources, self-help tools, and activities, with a focus on wellbeing and self-care, understanding their behavior, and moving forward.

It is an extension of the Stop It Now! Australia website and encourages individuals to seek help via the helpline as they work through the modules.

https://gethelpaustralia.com.au/

We love this article from our partner Melissa Bright, PhD, at the Center for Violence Prevention Research about the wrong assumptions she overcame and the new techniques she learned as a parent and researcher preventing child s*xual abuse.

"...after nearly a quarter-century of conducting research – 15 years on family violence, another eight on child abuse prevention, including s*xual abuse – I realized that many people, including me, were using antiquated strategies to protect our children."

Read her full article to see what she's learned and how she implements it.

I want to keep my child safe from abuse − but research tells me I’m doing it wrong It’s rarely the creep at the playground. About 90% of child s*xual abusers know the family.

Experience has taught us that actions by adults can be more effective than expecting kids to protect themselves from s*xual abuse. Still, we know that children also need accurate, age-appropriate information about child s*xual abuse and confidence that adults they know will support them.

This makes clear communication a cornerstone of effective prevention.

Read our tip sheet to help you think about how to approach conversations with kids about safety: https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/talking-to-children-and-teens

Investigating and understanding the policies of any youth-serving program, such as a camp, is absolutely one of the steps protective parents can take in helping ensure a safe environment for their children.

Learn how to take part in planning for prevention this summer with our advice column: www.stopitnow.org/advice-column-entry/should-i-worry-if-a-camp-doesnt-allow-cell-phones-or-email

Thank you to Miami Herald for speaking with Director Jenny Coleman about identifying warning signs of child s*xual abuse and taking action to keep kids safe. Read for details on trusting your gut, when to make a report, and how to take protective actions before a child is ever harmed.

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact our helpline. stopitnow.org/helpline

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/article288592343.html

A Florida law requires everyone to report suspected child abuse. Here’s what to know After the child s*x abuse scandal involving Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, Florida legislators in 2012 passed a law that placed a greater responsibility on ordinary people to report known or suspected child abuse. The Protection of Vulnerable Persons Act made everyone in Florida a mandato...

Read how we helped a concerned parent navigate safety for their child at summer camp in our advice column responding to this commonly asked question.

https://www.stopitnow.org/advice-column-entry/should-i-worry-if-a-camp-doesnt-allow-cell-phones-or-email

What do you do when your partner s*xually harms a child?

Director Jenny Coleman had the chance to speak with Ashley on the Betrayal Podcast about what accountability looks like when someone s*xually harms a child and what non-offending partners can do to support themselves and their families.

Thank you to Andrea for having us and helping elevate all of our resources for child s*xual abuse prevention and response.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-betrayal-95632727/episode/s2-bonus-ep-7-passing-177085407/

We're proud to present our 2024 Founder's Award to Joan Tabachnick!

Join us for a free, virtual event on June 20 to celebrate Joan and hear from a panel of experts on the past and future of child s*xual abuse prevention.

Panelists include:
- Jenny Coleman, MA, LMHC, Director of Stop It Now!
- Elizabeth Letourneau, Ph.D., Director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child S*xual Abuse
- Dr. Tyffani Monford Dent, Immediate Past President Association for the Treatment and Prevention of S*xual Abuse
- David Prescott, Director of Safer Society Foundation's Continuing Education Center
- Karen Baker, Founder of the National S*xual Violence Resource Center and Former CEO of Respect Together
- Ryan Shields, Ph.D., co-chair of MASOC
- Cordelia Anderson, Prevention Consultant & Trainer
- Jane Silovsky, Director of the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (CCAN)

Register, donate and learn more: https://conta.cc/3K6N5Zy

We're so glad to receive questions like this so that we can help address this s*xual boundary-crossing behavior in a way that has both youths’ well-being and safety in mind.

In this column, we give advice whether you’re a camp affiliate, the parent of the child who engaged in the inappropriate behavior, or the parent of the youth who was on the receiving end of this concerning behavior. No matter what your role is, it is critical that we address this youth’s unsafe behavior, and get him support and help.

https://www.stopitnow.org/advice-column-entry/pressured-to-engage-in-s*xual-behaviors-at-camp

As summer approaches, it is a great time to review our comprehensive guide on safety planning for your child's summer activities. The guide includes information and resources for safety in all kinds of youth serving-programs including camps, sports programs, daycares, and more.

https://www.stopitnow.org/ohc-content/safety-planning-for-summer

Don’t miss the FREE Safe Parenting Summit, there is still time to join!

Today, Now! Director Jenny Coleman's presentation, From Prevention to Healing: Child S*xual Abuse, will be shown along with these other great presentations:

Guardians Against Exploitation: Navigating Human Trafficking & Online Safety in the Digital Era with Alexandra Ford, MSc

ACEs: Trauma to Resilience with Dominika Nolan, MS, QS, LMHC, RPT-S, NCC, CCMHC, EMDR Certified Therapist

Differently Wired: Embracing Neurodiversity in Parenting with Debbie Reber, MA

How to Raise Confident Kids with Dr. Yasmine Saad, PhD

Raising Humans in a Digital World with Diana Graber

🎫 Get your FREE ticket now! https://thesafeparentingsummit.com/signup/

Asking questions about behaviors that raise a flag for you is an important step in prevention.

As part of S*xual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month, we have shared resources throughout April that teach you how you can best pay attention and react to warning signs to better ensure children's safety.

You can access all of these resources together in our latest monthly resources newsletter: https://conta.cc/3vERG1z

Recently, Donald Findlater retired as Director of Stop It Now after 30 years of dedicated service.

We are delighted to honour his work in this new blog which includes a special podcast in conversation with Deborah Denis.

Read about Donald's incredible career here: https://www.stopitnow.org.uk/home/media-centre/news/going-upstream-an-appetite-and-vision-for-child-s*xual-abuse-prevention-celebrating-the-career-of-donald-findlater/