Child Abduction Online Seminar

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Child Abduction Online Seminar

• Take the time
• to protect a
• child.

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Child Abduction

• Over 800,000 children are reported missing in
  the United Stateseach year.
• Its good to know there are simple precautions
  you can take to help safeguard your children.
• The help you can offer a young child is somewhat
  different from what is useful for an older child.
• We have a collection of some of the best
  abduction prevention tips available. Our tips
  focus on children and the disabled. Please print
  the tips you would like to share with your
  children and friends for future reference.No
  parent thinks their child will become missing yet
  almost one million are reported missing every
  year in the United States alone.A very good
  start to recovering a lost or stolen child is
  help prevent it from happening in the first
  place. Talk with your children and teach them
  some of the safety tips in the following pages.
  Make sure you have a child ID kit for each of
  your children. Police can begin a more thorough
  search for the missing child immediately using
  the information contained in the ID kit.

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Child Abduction

• Young children should
• -never say they are alone if they answer the
  phone they can offer to take a message or say
  their parents will phone back.
• -never answer the door if they are alone.
• -not invite anyone in the house without the
  permission of a parent or babysitter.
• -not go into people's houses without letting
  anyone know where they are.
• -never get into anyone's car without
  permission.
• -not take candy or other gifts from strangers or
  anyone else without asking a parent first.
• -never play in deserted buildings or isolated
  areas.
• -scream and scatter books and belongings if they
  are forced towards a building or car.
• -move away from a car that pulls up beside them
  if they do not know the driver.

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Child Abduction

• Young children should
• -be taught that it's all right to say 'no' to an
  adult if the person wants them to do something
  you've taught them is wrong.
• -know that no one has the right to touch any part
  of their bodies that a bathing suit would cover.
• -tell you, school authorities or a police officer
  about anyone who exposes private parts.
• -tell you if someone has asked them to keep a
  secret from you.
• -go to the nearest cashier if lost or separated
  from you in a store or mall.

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Child Abduction

• Older children/teens should
• -tell you where they are at all times or
  leave a written or recorded message at home.
• -never hitchhike.
• -avoid shortcuts through empty parks, fields,
  yards or alleys.
• -run home or go to the nearest public place and
  yell for help if they are being followed.
• -learn to recognize suspicious behavior and
  remember a description of the person or vehicle
  to give you or the police. Write the plate number
  in the dirt or snow if nothing else is
  available.
• -if attacked for money, jewelry or clothing give
  it up rather than risking injury.
• -feel that they can talk to you and call you to
  pick them up at any time, any place.

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Child Abduction

• You should-avoid clothing and toys with your
  child's name on it. A child is less likely to
  fear someone who knows his/her name.
• -check all potential babysitters and older
  friends of your child.
• -never leave your child alone in a public
  place, stroller or car. Not even for a minute.
• -always accompany young children to the bathroom
  in a public place and advise them never to play
  in or around the area.
• -always accompany your child on door-to-door
  activities, i.e. Halloween, school fund raising
  campaigns, etc.
• -point out safe houses where children can go if
  they are in trouble.

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Child Abduction

• You should
• -create an environment in which the child feels
  free to talk to you. Let him/her know that you
  are interested and sensitive to their fears.
• -teach them that the police are their friends
  and that they can rely on them if they are in
  trouble.
• -keep an up-to-date color photograph of your
  child, a medical and dental history, and have
  your child fingerprinted.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Teaching children to recognize and deal with
  threats without scaring them is a dilemma for
  parents. Without the tools to be able to
  communicate with your child, the fear of them
  being abducted can be overwhelming.
• Communicating effectively with yourchildren,
  however, is possible.
• These simple tips will assist you to empower
  them, make them safer and boost your peace of
  mind."Be Careful" and "Don't Go With Strangers"
  Isn't Enough!
• An overemphasis on stranger-danger can actually
  be counterproductive. Most offenses against
  children, including abduction and sexual
  offenses, are committed by people that they know.
  Recognizingthis fact, don't go overboard with
  fear of strangers those maybe the very people
  the child has to turn to for help. A more
  productive emphasis should be on how to identify
  trusted guides.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Trusted Guides are other people who can help and
  are probably safe. Police officers, especially at
  a crime scene, firefighters at a fire, or doctors
  at a hospital are usually safe to ask for help.
• If you are lost in a store, you could ask the
  person atthe counter for help.
• In some circumstances, such as if you were lost
  in the park, it would be okay to approach a
  parent at the playground with other children who
  was treating them kindly.
• If you were lost in the deep forest and heard
  people calling your name, it would be a good
  choice to ask those people for help.
• The exception would be if you were hiding from
  people who kidnapped or hurt you.
• Most people are not dangerous and will not hurt
  people.
• Most people will help you if they can.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Step 1 Explain The Danger. Parents often tell
  children, "Don't go with strangers". This is
  vague and doesn't help children protect
  themselves.
• Most abductions are by relatives anyway!
• Better advice would be "if you are lost or need
  help sometimes it's okay to ask strangers for
  assistance, but strangers shouldn'tbe asking you
  for help or to go with them. Usually you should
  not go somewhere with strangers unless you need
  their help in an emergency.
• Step 2 Who Is A Stranger? A stranger is anyone
  who is a stranger to you. Make an agreement
  regarding who is safe to go with, andthat they
  must say NO! to anyone else, no matter what!
  Teach your child to stay at least arms length
  away from a stranger who approaches them.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Step 3 Don't Be Polite! Parents teach children
  to be "polite.They should also teach that it's
  OK to be assertive and not talk to strangers.
  Adults should ask adults for help, not children!
• Step 4 Home and Phone Safety. Decide if your
  child is old enough to answer the door or phone
  when no adult is home. Never answer probing
  questions over the phone or at the door, call a
  parent.Teach 911 procedures.
• Step 5 Make A Code Word. Teach the child a code
  word. If a visitor comes to get them, the visitor
  must know the code word, or the child should not
  go with them.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Step 6 Pick Their Routes. Avoid alleys, wooded
  areas, parking lots and spontaneous shortcuts.
  Choose areas where anything out of the ordinary
  would be noticed by neighbors, business
  owners,pedestrians, etc.
• Step 7 Identify Trusted Adults. Pick stores,
  schools, churches,and homes of safe neighbors or
  homes with Block Home signs along their routes.
  Make sure your child knows these "safe places
  that they should go if they need help. Remember,
  it's generally safer if the child picks the
  adult!
• Step 8 NO-GO-TELL. If approached by somebody
  who is scary,or who asks them to do something
  that seems wrong, a child should yell NO! then GO
  immediately to a trusted adult and TELL
  whathappened.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Try some Role Plays They are lost in a store
  and a stranger offers help
• (Ask a cashier for help).
• A stranger offers them candy, or to go see a
  puppy
• (Don't go with or accept gifts from strangers
  unless you really need their help).
• Ask the stranger to call the police, or to call
  your parents. says there was an emergency and the
  child should go with them.
• (Ask for code word).
• Asks your child for help carrying
  something/asks direction.
• (Adults ask adults for help). Have a friend
  participate, have your child GO and TELL. Reward
  and coach your child.
• Step 9 What If The Worst Happens. If a child is
  screaming, a passerby may think it's a child
  having a tantrum, but fail to recognize an
  abduction.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Why People Don't Talk To Their Children The
  MythsIt will frighten them but still not make
  them safe. They will feel like they can't trust
  anyone! I can't tell them how to protect
  themselves. The TruthChildren have a keen
  sense of intuition and can recognize dangerous
  situations, but need to be given guidance about
  what's safe and what's not.
• Once you help them to understand the
  difference, a child can begin to make decisions
  regarding their safety.
• You can help them understand that they can
  protect themselves, and that the world does not
  have to be a scary place.

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Talking to Little Ones

• Children who are victims of attempted abduction
  should repeatedly yell "HELP! I DON'T KNOW THIS
  PERSON! I'M BEING KIDNAPPED!"Children have been
  saved by doing this! Be sure your child knows
  that resistance-yelling, kicking, scratching,
  biting, is acceptable under these circumstances.
  Depending on the age of your child, encourage
  them to remember details
• Vehicle description or model, appearance of the
  person involved, what was said, etc. Write these
  details down immediately and call the Police.

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Thank you for taking the time to protect a child.

• Please provide us feedback on this program.
• Email us at
• jovichm_at_msn.com
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