The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Impact Data - STOP IT NOW! Campaign

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Market Street Research conducted a random digit dial telephone survey of public opinions and attitudes toward child abuse in 1995, 1997, and 1999 of 200 people living in Vermont. The data listed here also reflect the results of a survey conducted in 2002 by the Vermont Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

Knowledge Shifts
There was a 40% increase in the number of people who could define sexual abuse (from 44.5% in 1995 to 84.5% in 1999), a 10% increase in respondents who could identify at least one warning sign (from 27.5% in 1995 to 38% in 1999), and a 6% increase in the number who conceded that abusers were likely to live in their neighborhoods (from 67% in 1995 to 73.7% in 1999).
Practices
118 adults and juveniles voluntarily stepped forward for help, which also means a report to the legal system.
Attitudes
In 1999, 80.2% of Vermonters said that they would take direct action if they definitely knew about a case of sexual abuse. This represents a 10% increase over the number so willing in 1997. If they merely suspect abuse, respondents in the 1999 survey would report abuse 6% more often than those in the 1997 survey.
Access
STOP IT NOW!'s help lines have taken 2,009 calls since 1995, 352 from people who identified themselves as abusers or at risk for abusing. Another 1,299 calls were from adults who knew an abuser or someone at risk for abusing.

Among the Vermont population of 580,000, 15% of the 657 callers to the helpline came from abusers and 50% came from people who know the abuser and/or victim.

Vermont callers reported hearing about the hotline as follows:
  • 24.5% from traditional media (radio: 12.3%; newspapers: 8.5%; television: 3.7%)
  • 28.8% from the STOP IT NOW! VERMONT website
  • 25.2% from professionals in the field, other helplines, and agencies
  • 5.8% from friends, presentations, workshops, or not willing to share.
Source
Materials sent from Joan Tabachnick of Stop It Now! to The Communication Initiative on March 3 and 6, 2003.