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Abduction and Kidnapping: Prevention Tips for Parents Prevention Tips for Parents
Know the Rules...Know the Rules...
The tips noted below will help parents lessen the opportunity for abduction and kidnapping and better safeguard their children.
Recent crimes against children, although a rare occurrence, have left many parents frightened and unsure about how best to protect their children. According to a study conducted by the Washington State Attorney General’s Office for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in 57 percent of the cases, the victims of child-abduction murder are victims of opportunity.
1. Teach your children to run away from danger, never towards it. Danger is anyone or anything that invades their personal space. Teach them to yell loudly. Their safety is more important than being polite. Teach your children that if they are ever followed in a car to turn around and run in the other direction to you or a trusted adult.
2. Never let your children go places alone, and always supervise your young children or make sure there is a trusted adult present to supervise them if you cannot. Make sure your older children always take a friend when they go somewhere.
3. Know where and with whom your children are at all times. Remind children never to take anything or respond in any way if approached by someone they don’t know. Teach them to run away as quickly as they can to you or a trusted adult.
4. Talk openly to your children about safety and encourage them to tell you or a trusted adult if anyone or anything makes them feel frightened, confused, or uncomfortable. Discuss security issues with your children so that they will understand the need for precautions. Advise your older children about steps they can take to help safeguard themselves. Know your children’s friends and their families. Pay attention to your children and listen to them. If you don’t, there’s always someone else who will.
5. Practice what you teach by creating "what if" scenarios with your children to make sure they understand the safety message and can use it in a real situation.
6. Consider installing an alarm system in your home with a monitoring feature. Make sure your home is secured with deadbolt locks, and ensure that landscaping around it doesn’t provide places for people to hide. Check other access points, such as gates, and make sure they have been secured. Consider installing exterior lighting around your home. Make sure that your home is fully secured before you go to sleep and items, such as ladders, have been stored inside. Prepare a plan to vacate your home in case of any emergency. This should include but is not limited to a fire. Have a plan if an intruder tries or gets into your home.
7. Make your children part of securing your home. If you have installed an alarm system, demonstrate it to your children and show them how to make certain that doors and windows are locked. This will not only help calm their fears but will also help make them part of your "safety plan" at home.
8. Have a list of family members who could be contacted in case of an emergency. Designate a family member or close associate who would be able to fill the role of advisor in case of an emergency.
9. Be alert to and aware of your surroundings. Know the “escape routes” and plan what you would do in different emergencies. Practice "what if" scenarios, so you will be well prepared. Know the location of local hospitals and best routes to take to reach them. Know how to reach the nearest local law enforcement agency or sub-station.
10. Know your employees and coworkers. Do background screening and reference checks on everyone who works at your home, particularly those individuals who care for your children. Their knowledge of your family is extensive so make sure that you have an equivalent understanding of who they are.
11. Consider varying your daily routines and habits. Do not take the same routes or go at the same time on your regular errands. If you take your children to school, change that route as well.
12. Take steps to secure personal information about yourself. Consider getting a post office box and registering everything you can there including your vehicles and drivers’ licenses. Have personal bills sent to your place of work or the post office box. Be discreet about your possessions and family’s personal habits and information.
13. Report any suspicious persons or activities to law enforcement. If you feel that you or your children have been targeted or are being stalked, report this information to law-enforcement authorities immediately. Do not wait.
14. Remember that you are your best resource for better safeguarding your family. Do not become complacent about personal security issues.
For more information about child-safety topics, please visit our web site or contact us at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
Click here to read other articles by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Copyright © 2002 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
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