ABOUT THE HERO PROJECT

I will work to end child sexual abuse and protect children because:

I am outraged that 1 out of 4 girls and 1 out of 6 boys are sexually abused before age 18

I am saddened by the fact that the vast majority of child sexual abuse is never reported.

I pledge to become a HERO to children by accepting my responsibility to intervene and report every time I suspect that a child is being sexually abused.

In 1998, a group of eight Westmoreland County organizations banded together to encourage adults - parents, relatives, caregivers and acquaintances - to become community heroes by protecting children against sexual abuse. With the leadership of the Blackburn Center Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and Red House Communications, the HERO Project launched a powerful media campaign and 24-hour HERO hotline. In 2003, the HERO Project was evaluated in Westmoreland County and was shown to have been effective in increasing hotline calls by 22%.

The mission of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is to work to eliminate all forms of sexual violence and to advocate for the rights and needs of victims of sexual assault. Since becoming the nation’s first anti-sexual violence coalition in 1975, PCAR has remained at the forefront of the movement to prevent sexual violence at both state and national levels.

The HERO Project’s mission is to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse by increasing awareness and encouraging reporting, especially by adults – parents, relatives, friends and neighbors – who are in a position to protect a child.

HERO, a project of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, is a community-based, media-driven, child sexual abuse prevention program designed to educate and motivate adult community members to call the 24-hour HERO Hotline if they suspect child sexual abuse.