Programs, often offered in the schools or in other community settings, that attempt to protect children from physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse or exploitation through a variety of educational interventions which may focus on children of various ages, parents, people who work with children and/or the community at large. The sessions may offer suggestions for children and/or parents regarding ways of avoiding or handling an abusive or potentially abusive situation and/or information about the indicators and incidence of abuse, requirements for reporting abuse and community resources that are available to children who have been abused and to their families.

Programs, often offered by the schools, that attempt to protect children from molestation and other forms of sexual assault by family members, friends of the family, caretakers or strangers by teaching them about good and bad touches, that their body is their own, that it is all right to say "no" if someone wants to touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable, and which encourage them to tell someone if they are approached or assaulted.

Programs that provide a hotline, website or other mechanisms that the public can use to report instances in which an individual or group of individuals is involved in the possession, manufacture and/or distribution of child pornography; online enticement of children for sexual acts; child prostitution; child sex tourism; non-familial child sexual molestation; sending unsolicited obscene material to a child or other acts that constitute child sexual exploitation.

Programs that offer a telephone service that enables people who are troubled to talk confidentially about their personal problems with an empathetic listener. These programs are often staffed by volunteers who can offer referrals for ongoing treatment, if needed.

Programs that provide immediate assistance for parents who have abused or fear they may abuse their children with the objective of defusing the parent's anger and frustration and ensuring the child's future safety through referrals for ongoing support and treatment. Also included may be services for abused children and concerned others who are in need of advice, guidance and/or emotional support. Hotline staff are generally available via telephone, email, chat and/or text.

Individuals who are generally between the ages of 18 and 25 depending on the ages that specific programs use for qualification.

Individuals age 18 and older who have been raped or otherwise sexually assaulted or adults who, as children, were victims of incest.

Individuals younger than age 18 who have been sexually assaulted by a family member, acquaintance or stranger or who have been subjected to sexual exploitation in the form of child prostitution or child pornography.