The D.C. Council unanimously approved a plan Thursday that will require nearly every adult in the city to report suspected child sexual abuse to authorities, a strategy that its author said was an outgrowth of the abuse scandal within Pennsylvania State University’s football program.

“This is not about punishing people who ought to be reporting. This is about encouraging reporting,” said Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who crafted the proposal about two months after the Penn State tragedy became public amid an onslaught of criminal charges. “The perpetrator here is the abuser, and we’re not interested in punishing other people. We’re interested in encouraging and sending a clear message that if you see or you believe that there is child sexual abuse, you report.”