Disclaimer:
This medical
information is designed as an aid only for the
patients of
Drs. Concannon & Vitale.
It is not a substitute for a medical
exam and direct
advice from your physician.
Preventing child abduction
As a parent, you can do
many things to make your child a difficult target for kidnappers and
sexual predators. Here are age-appropriate suggestions from the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children and the Polly
Klaas Foundation.
In addition, consider putting together
a child identification kit that contains personally identifiable
information, including photos, and update the information at least once a year.
A preschooler should
- always be under the direct
supervision of an adult
- be taught his (her) full name,
address, and phone number and how to dial 911
- if lost, seek assistance of a
uniformed police officer, store cashier, or a woman with a child
- always ask your permission
before accepting a gift or going somewhere with someone
A
school-age child should
- never go anywhere
unaccompanied and always use the buddy system
- let you know where he is and
where he is going, and his approximate times of arrival and departure
- keep a safe distance (10 feet
or more) from a car with someone in it, and never get into a car unless
you have given permission to do so
- be informed that adults do not
need to ask a child for directions or for help finding a lost animal or
child
- never tell a phone caller that
you aren't home or open the door if someone knocks if he is home alone.
A latchkey child also needs to know who to call in an emergency
- scream "No" or say "Fire" when
threatened. Such action immediately attracts attention and is an
effective maneuver for thwarting an abductor
- if followed, run to a safe
place, a store, or anywhere there are lots of people
A
teenager should
- continue to use the buddy
system when going anywhere and let you know where she is. (Consider
providing a cell phone to a responsible teenager, to make it easier for
her to communicate her whereabouts to you.)
- be made aware that drugs and
alcohol impair judgment, rendering a person more susceptible to
exploitation
- check out the house before
entering when arriving home; lock the door behind her; and call you to
let you know she has arrived
- never tell a phone caller that
the parent is not home
Adapted from Contemporary Pediatrics,
March 2005
Rev.
10/2005 KIDNAPPING..htm
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