Child Safety Information To
Help Thwart Sexual Predators

Here's some good solid child safety information to help protect your little ones against sex offenders. By being better informed, even with some simple safety tips for children, you can strengthen the shield against sexual predators.

Child safety is a comprehensive activity that cannot be summed up in a few dos and don'ts. That being said, these eight simple rules published by the National Alert Registry are a good start!

1. Teach Children Key Information.
   Teach your child(ren) their full name, address, phone number with area code, parents' names and work phone numbers. Practice reciting this information often as children may forget pertinent information over time. Also, practice how to make an emergency call to you or 911 from a pay phone or cellular phone.

2. Teach Children Who Is Safe.
   Children should be taught at an early age what type of "stranger" is okay to ask for help when they are lost or frightened. Good examples are: a mother with children, a counter clerk in a store or a uniformed police officer. Next time you visit a store, practice picking these types of people out with your child(ren).

3. Know Where Your Child Is Going.
   Children should always inform you before they go anywhere. This applies to older children as well since they are equally at risk to abduction by sexual predators. As you give your older children more freedom, reiterate safety rules with them. As a parent ask the questions: who, what, when, where, why and take the time to follow up on their responses. Good communications... a GREAT child safety habit.

4. Teach Children About The Buddy System.
   Never let your children go anywhere alone. Remind them that there is safety in numbers and they should always use the buddy system, never going anywhere alone. Stress the point that they should avoid situations that might isolate them from others or crowds.

5. Don't Let Children Be Lured In.
   Children should be taught not to go near cars or be lured by adults asking for directions, help finding something they lost, that their parents are in trouble and that they will take them to mom or dad. Share a code word with your child known only to family members and trusted friends. Make sure your child understands that they should not accept a ride with anyone not having the family code. This is a child safety tip you can and should practise.

6. Reinforce Safety Skills.
   Parents should seize opportunities to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community, speak frankly about it and use this time to discuss and re-emphasize the safety rules with them. Be sure to comfort them with the fact that there is always someone who can help them.

7. Know How To Report Your Missing Child.
   Time is a very critical factor in abduction cases. Seventy four percent of children who are abducted and murdered are dead within three hours of the abduction. When you can not find your child, you should immediately call your local law enforcement and provide your child's name, date of birth, height, weight, and any distinctive marks such as eyeglasses, braces or scars. Request that your child's information be immediately entered into the National Crime Information Center's Missing Person File. After you have reported your child missing to local law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST. Good child safety practises continue even after a child is missing.

8. Take The Initiative To Be Informed.
   As a parent, be informed by knowing where the sexual predators live in your neighborhood and around your local schools. The National Alert Registry has a wealth of information on convicted sex offenders all in one place, including photos, addresses, degree of criminal offenses, and distinguishable markings. Visit the National Alert Registry where retrieving this important information is fast and affordable, making child safety easier for you.

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