“I really wanted to thank you for all the help you offered me in my first call, and I am calling back today to ask for additional resources and referrals. It was wonderful to be able to practice speaking about what seemed like an overwhelming list of concerns.
What could have been a difficult and messy conversation with my brother turned out to be incredibly reassuring and informative, open, warm and loving. This was the first time I ever had a conversation with him about my concerns. We were able to learn so much about what we could do next to help him.”
- An anonymous, repeat caller
Sometimes, when a person suspects that a child is being abused, or suspects that someone they know may be a perpetrator or possible perpetrator, they are afraid to speak up. Maybe they are afraid that the person will become extremely upset with them, maybe they are afraid things will backfire and only become worse, maybe they just don’t know how to approach the person – or whether they should approach them at all.
These are difficult questions that have no easy answers. One thing you can do -- an easy choice -- is to pick up the phone and call Stop It Now!’s hotline – 1-888-PREVENT. You can speak to them to share your concerns, and get grounded, good advice on your options and possible courses of action.
Besides making the call, you can also download a free guidebook for Stop It Now!’s website. Here is the description for the booklet, taken from stopitnow.org's website:
“Let's Talk is a short, focused brochure that challenges adults to talk with other adults when they are concerned about sexualized behaviors or comments toward children. Based upon 10 years of calls to the Stop It Now! Helpline, the brochure outlines a straightforward process of how to raise and discuss concerns without making an accusation. It is designed to prevent child sexual abuse in situations of possible risk before a child is harmed. The brochure covers a variety of conversations, ranging from how to open the lines of communication to talk about healthy sexual development to how to report if a child has been sexually abused.”
Download the booklet here:
http://stopitnow.org/pubs.html#letstalk
1 comment:
Thanks for that link!
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