According to the National Crime Prevention Council of the United States, parents can protect their children from dangerous strangers by teaching them about strangers and suspicious behaviour, and by taking a few precautions of their own.

Who is a stranger?

A stranger is anyone that your family doesn’t know well. It’s common for children to think that “bad strangers” look scary, like the villains in cartoons. This is not only not true, but it’s dangerous for children to think this way. Pretty strangers can be just as dangerous as the not-so-pretty ones.

When you talk to your children about strangers, explain that no one can tell if strangers are nice or not nice just by looking at them and that they should be careful around all strangers.

Who are safe strangers?

Safe strangers are people children can ask for help when they need it. Police officers and firefighters are two examples of very recognisable safe strangers. Teachers, principals, and librarians are adults children can trust too, and they are easy to recognise when they’re at work.

You can help your children recognise safe strangers by pointing them out when you’re out in your town. Also show your children places they can go if they need help, such as local stores and restaurants and the homes of family friends in your neighbourhood.

Recognising and Handling Dangerous Situations

Perhaps the most important way parents can protect their children is to teach them to be wary of potentially dangerous situations – this will help them when dealing with strangers as well as with known adults who may not have good intentions.

Help children recognise the warning signs of suspicious behaviour, such as when an adult asks them to disobey their parents or do something without permission, asks them to keep a secret, asks children for help, or makes them feel uncomfortable in any way. Also tell your children that an adult should never ask a child for help, and if one does ask for their help, teach them to find a trusted adult right away to tell what happened.

You should also talk to your children about how they should handle dangerous situations.

One ways is to teach them “No, Go, Yell, Tell.” If in a dangerous situations, kids should say no, run away, yell as loud as they can, and tell a trusted adult what happened right away.

Make sure that your children know that it is okay to say no to an adult in a dangerous situation and to yell to keep themselves safe, even if they are indoors. It’s good to practice this in different situations so that your children will feel confident in knowing know what to do.

What Else Parents Can Do

In addition to teaching children how to recognise and handle dangerous situations and strangers, there are a few more things parents can do to help their children stay safe and avoid dangerous situations.

•Know where your children are at all times. Make it a rule that your children must ask permission or check in with you before going anywhere. Give your children your work and cell phone numbers so they can reach you at all times.

•Point out safe places. Show your children safe places to play, safe roads and paths to take, and safe places to go if there’s trouble.

•Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should get away as fast as they can and tell an adult. Tell them that sometimes adults they know may make them feel uncomfortable, and they should still get away as fast as possible and tell another adult what happened. Reassure children that you will help them when they need it.

•Teach your children to be assertive. Make sure they know that it’s okay to say no to an adult and to run away from adults in dangerous situations.

•Encourage your children to play with others. There’s safety in numbers!

Source: ncpc.org

Safety Tips to Share with Your Kids

Fidelity ADT Security offers the following safety:

• Make sure your children memorise their full name, address and phone number.
• Using a play phone, teach children when and how to dial 10111.
• Put other emergency numbers on speed dial on your home phone and mobile. Teach your children how to operate the speed dial, explaining when it should be used.
• Always leave a phone number where you can be reached along with numbers for neighbours and emergency services right next to the phone.
• Make sure they realise the importance of speaking clearly and telling the emergency services exactly what is happening.
• Let your children practice operating door and window locks.
• Set a good example by locking doors and windows and checking to see who it is before opening a gate or door.
• Explain how important it is not to let anyone into the house without your permission.
• Teach them to not reveal on the phone or at the door that no adults are home but to rather say their parents are too busy to come to the phone or door.
• Rehearse the home fire escape plan with your children.
• Teach your children basic first aid such as putting pressure on a bleeding wound and what to do with minor burns.
• Show them how to press the panic button and explain when they should do so.

Source: news24.com