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Tips For Parents:  Child Abduction Prevention

Teaching children how to be safe should be at the top of every school's to-do list. An Analysis in 2010 by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) of more than 4,000 attempted abductions during the previous five years found children are at risk when going to and from school or school-related activities. NCMEC has partnered with popular actor Tim Kang, of the hit CBS show The Mentalist, to teach parents what they need to teach their children to keep them safe this school year.  

"As a dad of a one-year-old daughter, I am more aware than ever of the dangers that children face. I understand how parents want to do anything possible to protect their children and keep them safe.  Children need to know that it is ok to say 'No' and that if approached, they need to yell, kick or run away," said Kang. "Parents need to understand that spending a few minutes teaching their children about safety could literally mean the difference between life and death. They also need to know about the great resources that are available from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. For example, the Know the Rules series of safety tips is a great tool for parents to review with their children."

"We know that teaching children about safety works. A common factor with children who escaped their would-be abductors was that the child did something proactive instead of being passive or polite: 31% yelled, kicked, pulled away or attracted attention, and 53% of the children walked or ran away," said Ernie Allen, President & CEO of NCMEC.

An estimated 800,000 children are reported missing every year. That is 2,000 children every day, or one child every 40 seconds. NCMEC analyzed more than 4,200 attempted abductions for the five-year period from February 2005 to March 2010 and found that:

  • 38% of attempted abductions occur while a child is walking alone to or from school, riding the school bus or riding a bicycle;
  • 37% of attempted abductions occur between the hours of 2 p.m. through 7 p.m. on a weekday;
  • 43% of attempted abductions involve children between the ages of 10 and 14;
  • 72% of attempted abduction victims are female; and
  • 68% of attempted abductions involve the suspect driving a vehicle.

The five most common lures included offering a child a ride, offering the child candy or sweets, showing the child an animal or asking for help finding an animal, offering the child money and asking the child for directions.  

Parents also need to understand that most of those who abduct children are not "strangers." The phrase "stranger danger" is pervasive in our culture. Teaching children to only be afraid of strangers is the wrong message, however. Children don't get it. Children view a "stranger" as someone who is "ugly" or "mean." If someone spends time talking to a child or is even just around a child, the child thinks he or she "knows" the person and doesn't view him/her as a stranger.

Research shows that of the 58,000 non-family abductions each year, 63% involved a friend, long-term acquaintance, neighbor, caretaker, babysitter or person of authority, and only 37% involved a stranger. The number of pure strangers is not insignificant but it remains far smaller than the number of other offenders who have easy and legitimate access to children.

As children return to school, parents should take time to review the following 10 Back-to-School Safety Tips, adapted from the NCMEC Know the Rules Child Safety series. Educators also can download and distribute NCMEC printable tips sheets in English or Spanish.

  1. Teach your children to always take a friend with them when walking or biking, and stay with a group while standing at the bus stop. Make sure they know which bus to ride.  
  2. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they're being followed or need help. Teach your children they should never take shortcuts and always stay in well-lit areas.  
  3. It is not safe for young children to walk to and from school, even in a group. Parents should always provide supervision for young children to help ensure their safe arrival to and from school. If your children wait for a bus, wait with them or make arrangements for supervision at the bus stop.
  4. Teach your children that if anyone bothers them, making them feel scared or uncomfortable, they should trust their feelings and immediately get away from that person. Teach them that it is okay not to be polite and that it is okay to say ‘no.’  
  5. Teach your children that if anyone tries to take them somewhere, they should resist by kicking and screaming, trying to run away and drawing attention by yelling, "This person is trying to take me away" or "This person is not my father/mother."
  6. Teach your children not to accept a ride from anyone unless you have said it is okay in that instance. If anyone follows them in a vehicle, they should turn around, go in the other direction, and run to a trusted adult who may help them.
  7. Teach your children that grownups should not ask children for directions; they should ask other adults.  
  8. Teach your children to never accept money or gifts from anyone unless you have told them it is okay to accept in each instance.
  9. Make sure the school has current and accurate emergency contact information on file for your children and confirm the names of those authorized.
  10. Always know where your children will be. Teach your children to always check first before changing their plans before or after school. Teach your children to never leave school with anyone unless they check first with you or another trusted adult, even if someone tells them it is an emergency.

 

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