Congressman Richard Neal to visit Stop It Now!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congressman Neal to visit Stop It Now!: Child Sex Abuse Prevention and Protection Center

Northampton, Mass.—(February 27, 2010)—Stop It Now!, a not-for-profit organization that helps adults prevent sexual abuse of children, will be visited by U.S. Congressman Richard E. Neal on Monday, March 1, 2010. “We are looking forward to showing him first-hand how our work supports adults to prevent sexual abuse,” says Deborah Donovan Rice, Executive Director. Representative Neal’s longtime interest in the prevention of sexual abuse of children is to be commended. “It is rare that prevention garners the attention and funding from policymakers that it deserves,” Donovan Rice adds.

Through the efforts of Representative Neal and the Massachusetts legislative delegation Stop It Now! is set to receive $250,000 in Federal funding through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Edward J. Byrne Memorial Grant program this year. This funding will increase the availability of free child sexual abuse prevention help through the Stop It Now! Online Help Center and Helpline phone service. Stop It Now! plans to continue improving these services and increase their visibility so more adults know that resources are available.

The Online Help Center is a private, 24/7 resource accessible through the Stop It Now! website (www.StopItNow.org). Also known as the Child Sex Abuse Prevention and Protection Center, Stop It Now! focuses solely on adults and communities by providing specialized information and guidance for parents, educators, and community leaders to understand what actions to take to insure greater safety for children.

Approximately, twenty percent of our children will be sexually abused before they reach their eighteenth birthday. “Opening new channels of communication to provide help and support will move us closer to a critical mass of adults that are mobilized to do their part in keeping children safe from sexual abuse,” states Deborah Donovan Rice, Stop It Now! Executive Director.

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