Across the world, 150 million girls and 73 million boys are subjected to forced sexual intercourse and other forms of sexual violence (WHO, 2002). In the U.S. at least one out of four girls and one out of seven boys are sexually abused by 18 years old.  Nearly 50 percent of all sexual assaults are against girls aged 15 or younger. Life outcomes often include poor school performance, depression, psychosis, promiscuity, teen pregnancy, prostitution, drug abuse, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, homelessness, suicide and homicide, and chronic disease. 

The Mission of Stop the Silence is to expose and stop CSA and help survivors heal worldwide. Our overarching Goals are to: 1) help stop child sexual abuse (CSA) and related forms of violence; 2) promote healing of victims and survivors; and 3) celebrate the lives of those healed. Through our work, we aim to address the relationships between CSA and the broader issues of overall family and community violence, and violence within and between communities. Our focus underlines the importance of a shift in focus on positive development within our social complexes (e.g., the relationships between men, women, adults and children, cultural groups) to support peaceful – and to hinder violence-prone – relationships. 

Support for services – In addition to having provided monetary and TA support to other groups providing direct service, Stop the Silence provides a virtual peer discussion group and is focusing on bringing more clinical services to a wider public. 

Media Advocacy – a grant from the Department of Justice in 2005/2006 allowed Stop the Silence to broadcast public service announcements (PSA) in the U.S. and throughout the world.  The International Race to Stop the Silence, held in various states and countries in collaboration with local groups, allows Stop the Silence and its collaborators to capture wide-based mass media attention.  A global advocacy, education, and information program in collaboration with Durbin Institute of Technology and a technology firm, The Global Lesson Foundation, funded by these partners, is in process.

Training for service providers – Stop the Silence staff and partners (Survivors Healing Center) have provided CSA and related training for the police in Zambia; in collaboration with the Cornell University, advocacy centers, various service groups, and with various Latino immigrant and others populations in California and elsewhere.  The training has been shown to increase understanding of CSA and related issues.

Training for judges and other court-related personnel – Under DHHS, Ford Foundation, and DOJ awards, Stop the Silence has been providing local- and national-level information and training for judges and other court-related personnel. The training transcends legal systems.

Education and outreach – Stop the Silence reaches out to schools, day cares centers, houses of worship, etc. to catalyze a community response to prevention and healing. Also, an HHS-supported colloquium, Stopping the Silence about Intimate Violence, with Naomi Nontombu Tutu and Riane Eisler, was held in 2005 with policy and NGO personnel to increase understanding.

From the standpoints of survivor's, the non-abused public, or policymakers, CSA is wrapped in discomfort, shame, stigma, and fear. Stop the Silence focuses on CSA, as opposed to "child abuse and neglect" to bring it out of the shadows.  The words "child sexual abuse," were consciously built into our name so that people learn to say them. We build awareness as a base for training, education, policy development, and more. 

Stop the Silence began in 2002 as a coalition of multi-ethnic and state groups that came together to comprehensively address CSA. Pamela Pine, PhD, MPH, an international health and development specialist, began the programming to address the pandemic and the critical need for comprehensive programming for this very complex issue.

In 2003, as a result of an obvious lack of funding and awareness on the part of the public and policymakers alike, Dr. Pine conducted research with the University of Maryland's Department of Communication to better understand what the public knew about CSA and what would motivate them to action.

Drawing on that research, the annual, National (now International) Race to Stop the Silence was born in 2004. This event generated forward movement of the organization. A grant from DHHS for a comprehensive CSA focus in Maryland followed. Pamela Pine incorporated Stop the Silence in 2004 given the need for a structure from which to provide adequate, essential, and comprehensive programming. Activities include research, media advocacy, training, community outreach and education, policy development, and support for direct services.

The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, with Dr. Pine serving as CEO. Funding levels continue to grow steadily from various private and government organizations, corporations, and individuals, and now stands at approximately $200,000 per year. Stop the Silence functions with a small staff, low overhead, and a force of volunteers, the total for which varies from four to 150, depending upon the time of year and ongoing projects. In November 2008, LaQuisha Tisdal Hall, Mrs. Owings Mills International 2009, joined the Stop the Silence volunteers by becoming the International Spokesperson for the organization. Stop the Silence has proven its drive and capabilities and plans to push forward on all fronts to ensure that children are protected and that survivors get the help they need to thrive.