TIPS TO HELP KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFER
The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children offers these common sense, general safety tips.
What are the most important things a parent should tell a child about this issue?
- Children should always check first with you or a trusted adult before they go anywhere, accept anything, or get into a car with anyone. This applies to older children as well.
- Children should not go out alone and should always take a friend with them when they go places or play outside.
- It's okay to say no if someone tries to touch them or treats them in a way that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and to get out of the situation as quickly as possible.
- Children need to know that they can tell you or a trusted adult if they feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.
- Children need to know that there will always be someone to help them, and they have the right to be safe.
What is the biggest myth surrounding this issue?
The biggest myth is that the dangers to children come from strangers. In the majority of cases, the perpetrator is someone the parents or child knows, and that person may be in a position of trust or responsibility to the child and family.
What advice would you offer a parent who wanted to talk to their child about this issue?
Parents should choose opportunities or 'teachable" moments to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community, and your child asks you about it, speak frankly but with reassurance. Explain to your children that you want to discuss the safety rules with them, so that they will know what to do if they are ever confronted with a difficult situation. Make sure you have "safety nets" in place, so that your children know there is always someone who can help them.