how to keep your children safe

In order to keep children safe, you should practice basic stranger-safety procedures with your children and encourage other parents to follow your guidelines:

· Tell your children to always walk or play in groups. Predators search for isolated targets such as children who are walking alone or playing alone.
Share this important lesson with other parents.





· You should always know where your kids are going, even if they leave the house with another trusted adult.If your children spend time at their friends' homes, you should discuss a mutual child-watch plan with other parents.

· Keep a list of phone numbers of other nearby parents and offer your numbers to these parents. You can quickly check on the location of your children if needed.


· Teach your kids about strangers. Tell them that a stranger is any adult they do not know.Introduce your children to other parents you trust. Meet the children of these parents, so you will become a familiar face to the kids. Ideally, these children will be able to pick out a few friendly adults in a crowd of strangers.

· In addition to other parents, your kids should know which strangers are safe.
Store clerks, police officers, teachers, people who are behind desks in office buildings, mail-carriers and mothers with children are generally safe strangers.
Explain to your children that they can trust these strangers if they ever need help and they cannot locate an adult they recognize.
Teach your children that stores, schools, libraries and restaurants are all safe public places where they can run if they are in jeopardy.

· Teach your kids about the common lures used by abductors.
Often, a kidnapper appeals to victims by asking the child to help find a lost animal. Sometimes, the stranger will ask a child for directions. Occasionally, abductors know the child's name or the names of the child's parents. Perpetrators attempt to use this knowledge to gain the child's trust.
You should tell your children that adults ask other adults for help when they are truly searching for lost pets, or when they need any other type of assistance.

. Practice screaming with your children.If a stranger attempts to talk to or grab your children, your children should know to shout, "No!" or "Fire!"
Try to recruit the help of other parents. The group of your children can rehearse screaming at strangers by role-playing.

[by: aina suraya binti selamat]