VIDEO: Teach your child about safety this Child Protection Week
This year’s Child Protection Week from 28 May until 4 June brings with it an opportunity for parents to empower their children with the required tools to guide them in case of an emergency.
Crime is a harsh reality in South Africa and equipping your children with essential safety information will help them to appropriately handle any danger in which they may find themselves.
This year’s Child Protection Week from 28 May until 4 June brings with it an opportunity for parents to empower their children with the required tools to guide them in case of an emergency.
“The purpose of creating this awareness is not to create a sense of fear, but rather to teach and reinforce practical safety tips that will guide your child’s actions,” says Charnel Hattingh, Fidelity ADT’s national marketing and communications manager.
“While parents and guardians hope their youngsters never find themselves in a dangerous situation, it is always best to make sure they are prepared.”
A child’s safety is a top priority for any parent and ensuring they are responsible is a necessity.
“Teaching them not to engage with or leave their school’s premises with any strangers, especially over-friendly individuals, is the golden rule; but is just one of many important rules to convey,” says Hattingh.
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Children waiting to be fetched after school should also remember to stay within the school’s premises.
If they usually walk home, parents should advise their children to walk in a group. Some communities have started “walking buses”, where adults walk with a group of children on their way to or from school as an added safety and security measure.
“If they are unable to stay in a group on their way home, advise them to stick to familiar roads and avoid quiet side roads, alleys or fields.
“Children who are alone at home in the afternoons should understand not to open the door for strangers and have the necessary emergency numbers in close proximity to the home phone or preprogrammed on their mobile phones,” advises Hattingh.
ALSO READ: Police continue with child safety beyond Child Protection Week
Some practical and useful tips:
– Teach your child to never fight back (with the exception of life-or-death situations) or present themselves as a threat to the criminal. Your child’s life is more important than any and all possessions.
– Tell your child to always make a scene, scream or yell “no” when someone is bothering or trying to kidnap them. Draw as much attention to themselves as they can.
– Encourage your child to get as many details about the criminal as possible. Encourage children to make quick observations without staring at the perpetrator or coming across as defiant.
“Any characteristics that could help with the identification of a suspect (such as visible scars, noticeable accents and tattoos, and their outfit) will help with future investigations to apprehend them,” Hattingh concludes.
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