French national helpline "stop" for minor-attracted persons: First findings

Preventing minor-attracted persons from acting on their impulses is a significant public health concern. To address this, the STOP telephone helpline was established nationwide in France in January 2021. This service acts as a bridge, connecting callers with their nearest CRIAVS (resource centers for professionals working with sex offenders) where they can speak with a healthcare professional who can guide them toward appropriate care if needed. Our study is a detailed look at the STOP service's activity from January 1st, 2021, to December 31st, 2022, covering a span of 24 months.

We developed a structured approach to collecting data for analysis. Data were extracted from the centralized database of the STOP service, allowing for the collection of quantitative variables and qualitative variables.

Over the study period, there were 5442 calls made to the service. After filtering out calls that were unsuccessful or too short (mostly under 5minutes), we analyzed 369 records. Among these, 79.1% were first-time callers, with 73.3% of them admitting to being attracted to children, a group which predominantly consisted of men. Notably, 46.7% of callers expressing an attraction to children were referred to further care. In total, 72.6% of callers learned about the service through media channels.

Analysis revealed that the STOP service was primarily utilized by the intended audience-minor-attracted persons. The gradual decline in call volume over time and the reliance on media for awareness highlight the importance of widespread publicity. The findings from our study, spanning twenty-four months of the STOP service's operation, highlight the value of having such a platform available to facilitate access to mental health support for minor-attracted persons. They emphasize the need for increased communication efforts to promote the STOP service and call for further data analysis to enhance its effectiveness.