Stop It Now! has an excellent booklet, PDF file, that you can download for free that answers many questions. The booklet talks about:

What is Sexual Abuse?
Why do people sexually abuse? And is there help and hope for them to get better?
Can a child sexually abuse another child?
What are the warning signs that a child may be suffering from abuse?
What are the warning signs that an adult may be at risk for abusing children?
What to DO if you suspect any of these problems?


There is a quote in the booklet that is SO true, and really spoke to me. It says,

“Abusers count on us to be confused, to keep quiet, and to not call for help.”

I know for a fact that some people in my life who were legally obligated to report the abuse never said a word to anyone. They were even so brazen to write it down in official records... And so, the abuse went on. Here I am, twenty years later, still paying a heavy price for their irresponsibility.

If you suspect a child may be being abused... if you suspect an adult you know may be at risk to abuse a child... If you are afraid you might abuse a child... call 1-888-PREVENT to talk about your concerns.

Get the free download book here: http://stopitnow.org/downloads/Prevent_CSA.pdf

What to do if you suspect a child is being abused...

From a caller to the Stop It Now! Helpline (1.888.PREVENT), shared with permission:

“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