Challenging sexual violence against girls: A public awareness approach to preventing sexual abuse

Most strategies to prevent child sexual abuse rely on therapeutic work with abusers or direct work with children training them to recognise and resist molestation. However, many authors, activists and professionals in this field assert the need to challenge broader social attitudes towards sexuality and violence. In 1992 an attempt at such an intervention was employed by Edinburgh District Council in their 'Zero Tolerance Campaign'. This was a public awareness campaign which aimed to increase people's understanding of the extent and nature of violence against women and girls and to emphasise that such crimes should not be tolerated. Through challenging misconceptions, encouraging public discussion and focusing on strategies to prevent such crimes, the campaign organisers hoped to transform the social climate which is conducive to the abuse of women at any age. This article explores public response to the Zero Tolerance Campaign and, in particular, focuses on reactions to the two advertisements which addressed the sexual abuse of girls