NOW! News

Summer 2000, Vol. 8, No. 2

Four Year Evaluation:
Findings Reveal Success of Stop It Now! Vermont

"Will an abuser call for help?" was the most common question asked of STOP IT NOW! VERMONT in 1995 before we launched the pilot program in partnership with Safer Society Foundation, Inc. We did not know the answer. But the very first call to our helpline was from a man who said, "Hello, my name is John. I am a child molester and I need help."

Since that initial call, STOP IT NOW! VERMONT has received 657 calls to our helpline. Fifteen percent of the calls were from abusers. Another 50% were from people who told us they knew the abuser, and typically the victim as well. Many of these calls began with, "I may be over-reacting, but…" Such calls were rarely over-reactions.

To help evaluate our program, STOP IT NOW! VERMONT commissioned Market Street Research of Northampton, Massachusetts to conduct three random-digit-dial telephone surveys of public opinions and attitudes about child sexual abuse in 1995, 1997, and 1999. Through the surveys, we determined that 78% of Vermonters think of child sexual abuse as a problem in Vermont. Seventy-four percent recognize that sexual abusers are likely to live in their communities. Through our four-year-long public awareness and media campaign we have begun to change the way people talk about child sexual abuse. By 1999, we saw a 40% increase in the number of Vermonters who could explain or define child sexual abuse.

Although Vermonters are more able to talk about abuse, they still do not know what to do when faced with a situation of sexual abuse. In 1999, only 66% of Vermonters told us they would take some direct action if they suspected sexual abuse. Direct action includes talking with the child who may be the victim, talking with the adult or child who may be abusing, or reporting the abuse to authorities. In contrast, 96% of Vermonters knew what to do when faced with a friend who is drinking and planning to drive. This data is reinforced by most calls to our helpline, in which callers are unsure of what action to take.

Society responds primarily to cases where a child discloses sexual abuse. STOP IT NOW! was established on the belief that if help is offered, some people who abuse will step forward to get help. Through a survey of clinicians, STOP IT NOW! VERMONT identified 118 people (20 adults and 98 youth) voluntarily seeking help in the last four years. Through individual telephone interviews in each county prosecutor’s office, we identified 25 people (15 adults and 10 youth) who have turned themselves in to the legal system during that time. While the number of people stepping forward may seem small, Vermont’s total population is only 590,000 people.

The data collected from our helpline, from the opinion surveys, and from the surveys of clinicians and county prosecutors demonstrates that some people who sexually abuse children are willing to reach out for help.

For more information about this evaluation, contact Joan Tabachnick, Director of Public Education, at 413-268-3096.