Preserving Safety for Children

For most parents, nothing is more important than the safety of their children. The thought of a child being abducted or sexually victimized is one of the most scariest images imaginable. Unfortunately it is a reality each and every day. 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys will be sexually assaulted by age 18. On your average day, over 30 kids are abducted by a non-family member, most being sexually victimized before getting away or being released. The good news is that it doesn't have to be this way! We can dramatically lower the number of children being sexually exploited. The key is education.

Keeping kids safe is the responsibility of each and every one of us, so whether you're a parent or not we all need to keep an eye out and do all we can to protect children. Raising awareness of the reality that exists is critical because change can only truly come about when enough people stand up and say "This is not acceptable." So the first step in the educational process is to raise the awareness level of parents, teachers, citizens, businesses, and government.

In the meantime, there are much better ways to protect kids than the manner in which we currently do things. Child Rescue Network partners with parents to educate them on how to empower their kids by helping children recognize potentially dangerous situations and teaching them how to react if the need ever arises. We often comment that fear is simply not knowing what to do... we can teach our kids what to do. Children should not be raised to be scared of the world around them. Instead we must empower them with knowledge. Knowledge of some of the lures predators use to approach kids and the knowledge of how to deal with such a threat.

For example, imagine your child walking home from school and someone with whom they are familiar pulls up and says, "Your mom has been in an accident and your dad asked me to find you and bring you to the hospital ". What would your child do? In this scenario, a family code word could without a doubt mean the difference between life and death. So come up with a code word so that in the event you actually do need to send someone else to pick up your child, perhaps after soccer practice or in an emergency, your child understands to keep his distance and ask "What is the code word?" If the person knows the word then your child is assured that he can go with the person and not worry, but if the person doesn't know the code word then your child knows to run and get to safety. The family code word is a very simple tool that empowers kids to help them make a good decision. You can find more safety tips here:

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