Resources for Parents, Caregivers and Children to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
Beyond the Research- Advice for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
Elizabeth Letourneau recommends that parents and caregivers follow a few simple steps to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse and for detecting the warning signs of potential sexual abuse problems.
Families play an important role in safeguarding children from harm and preventing child sexual abuse.
The resources presented here were reviewed by the Moore Center team and other experts for credibility of source, utility in terms of actionable advice, timeliness of the advice, user-friendliness, and accessibility. We do not include all possible resources; rather, the selection is limited to include high-quality resources generated by reputable organizations that, where possible, are available in multiple languages.
Please email MooreCenter@jh.edu to submit additional resources for consideration.
Committee for Children
This global nonprofit offers parents a How-to Guide on how to respond to disclosure to identifying signs of abuse. The link also includes a variety of research-based resources. (English-language website with Spanish-language resources at Abierto y a Menudo).
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
As the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) and Safe Helpline for the U.S. Department of Defense. RAINN also offers advice if you suspect a child being harmed. (English-language website with Spanish-language resources).
Stop It Now! USA
Stop it Now! USA provides education and other resources to prevent child sexual abuse. They have self-help pages for people who are concerned they might engage in harmful sexual behavior, a confidential helpline at 1.888.PREVENT and online chat. (Website is English only).
Upstream: Protecting the next child
Upstream enables adults in Scotland to prevent child sexual abuse and to protect the next child. Their website offers guidance on talking to your child 12 years old and under, and teenagers 12+, and advice to help your child navigate the online world and prevent abuse from happening.
World Childhood Foundation
The World Childhood Foundation (WCF) acts as a liaison between donors and community-based organizations and is currently supporting over 100 projects in 17 countries. The WCF identify, review and support existing projects and new initiatives and efforts that are aligned with Childhood's mission; to defend the rights of children and to promote better living conditions for vulnerable and exploited children at risk all over the world.
Shore
Shore is part of the Lucy Faithful Foundation. Shore was launched in 2023 to provide a safe and anonymous place for young people to get help and support. The aim of this website is to prevent harmful sexual behaviours among young people. It’s for anyone who has questions about healthy sexual relationships, wants to change their own behaviour, is looking for reliable information to help them respond to someone else’s behaviour.