Posted on 29 November, 2007

We can do a lot to prepare our children for some of the dangers in life, but unfortunately, we cannot always stop bad things happening to them. We try to protect our children from being hit by a car and so we teach them road safety, (without scaring them with all the gory details and making them so frightened that they won’t cross a road). In the same way we can try to protect our children from the dangers of strangers.

• Be suspicious if an adult seems more interested in spending time with your child than with you. It might be that he or she offers to look after your child, or wants to be alone with your child or take your child on a holiday.
• Teach your children to try and get away as quickly as possible from any person who makes them feel uncomfortable or frightened and to then tell people they trust about what has happened.
• Teach your children that adults are not always right. This will help them if a stranger tells them something
• Children should always go to and from sport with their parents or other children if possible.
• Teach your children never to go into public toilets alone. It is also wise for children at school to go to school toilets during breaks rather than alone during a lesson.
• Teach children to always tell you where they are going. If they are followed or frightened they should knock on the nearest door and ask for the Police to be called. Many children have a mobile – make sure they have two or three adults’ phone numbers if they can’t get you.