Stop It Now!

Stop It Now!, a campaign aimed at preventing child sexual abuse, has found that nearly half of all calls to its telephone helpline are from adults seeking help for their own behaviour. Stop It Now! described this as “striking”; so clearly not the domestic violence support group then: but I still cannot imagine why. I think the message that child abuse is wrong is loud and clear so where does this assumption that they don't want to seek help come from? The demonisation of people who are surely ill has driven their behaviour out of sight where we can pretend it doesn’t exist. Anyone who thinks this is an acceptable or a long term solution in anyone's interest is deluded. There needs to be a recognition that perpetrators are victims themselves, are vulnerable and deserve help not instant criminalisation.