Protecting Your Children From Predators

THE AMBER ALERT PROGRAM

 

On January 13, 1996, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was riding her bicycle in Arlington, Texas, when a neighbor heard her scream. The neighbor saw a man pull Amber off her bike, throw her into the front seat of his pickup truck, and drive away at a high rate of speed. The neighbor called police and provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle. Arlington Police and the FBI searched for the suspect and vehicle.

Local radio and television stations covered the story in their regular newscasts. Four days later Amber’s body was found in a drainage ditch four miles away. Her kidnapping and murder still remain unsolved.

Out of this tragedy, came the birth of the AMBER ALERT. The Amber Alert was designed to help prevent this type of vicious, criminal act from ever happening again, by assisting in the safe and speedy recovery of abducted children...

The AMBER ALERT Program, named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. Broadcasters use the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to send out a description of the abducted child, the suspected abductor, and a description of the vehicle they may be traveling in.

The goal of an AMBER ALERT is to instantly alert the entire community to assist in the search for, and the safe recovery of the child.

The AMBER ALERT has helped in the safe and speedy recovery for many abducted children since it was first introduced, but it's not a substitute for teaching you children how to avoid being abducted in the first place.

Below are just a few safeguards you can teach your children to help them avoid becoming a victim of this terrible crime...

STRANGERS ARE NOT ALWAYS EVIL LOOKING:
Child molesters and abductors usually look like normal, everyday people. Tell your kids not to talk to adults they do not know. Anytime they're approached by an adult, they should check with a parent or trusted adult immediately.

CHILD MOLESTERS AND ABDUCTORS ARE NOT ALWAYS VICIOUS:
Many child abducters are extremely soft spoken and mild mannered. Often times they will befriend a child by asking for help. Such as help finding a lost pet; asking for directions to someone's house or a nearby building; offering money or candy for assistance; acting like an undercover police officer (children should only approach uniformed police officers, and/or marked police cars).

Most child molesters are very skilled at gaining a childs confidence and luring them away. Teach your children to never leave the area where they are playing, and to never go with someone they're not sure of.

It's also a good idea to establish a secret code word that only you and your child know. This way if someone aproaches them and says "your mom or dad sent me to pick you up", or "your mom and dad are hurt and need your help"... if the stranger doesn't know the code word, your child should know not to believe them.

NEVER PUT YOUR CHILDS NAME ON THE OUTSIDE OF THIER BACKPACK OR CARRYING BAG! A child abducter can easily call your child by thier name, thus confusing your child as to whether or not that person is actually a stranger, or someone they should know.
 

Child molesters may also gain your child's trust by minor contacts over several days, such as saying hello to them repeatedly. Make sure your children know to tell you if a stranger is trying to make friends with them.

CHILD MOLESTERS ARE NOT ALWAYS STRANGERS:
Unfortunately, many children are molested each year by someone they know as a relative, close friend of the family, or casual aquaintance. If someone your child knows is making them feel uncomfortable or asking them to keep a "secret" from mom and dad, make sure your child knows that they should tell you about this immediately.

CHILD ABDUCTERS ARE NOT ALWAYS MEN:
Believe it or not, many child abducters are women. Sometimes working with a man, sometimes working alone. Children are far more likely to approach a stranger that is female. Perhaps it's because thier mother is a female, or perhaps it's because women tend to be less intimidating, whatever the reason, you need to explain to them... A STRANGER IS A STRANGER, MALE OR FEMALE! and they should never leave their group, or get into a vehicle with anyone they don't know. Even if it's a woman.

CHILDREN ARE MOST VULNERABLE WHEN ALONE:
Perverts who prey on children wait for an opportunity when the child is alone. Like animal predators in the wild that try to seperate their prey from the protection of the herd, child predators look for a child that is seperated from the group Children should not play outside their home by themselves, even for short periods of time.
They should walk to and from school and bus stops in groups.

TELL CHILDREN TO STAY AWAY FROM CARS:
A car or other vehicle is often the means by which the abductor removes the child from the neighborhood. Children should never approach a vehicle unless they are absolutely sure they know the occupants. Abductors entice children to walk near their vehicles and then pull them inside. Often they'll work in groups of two or more, while one person distracts them, the other(s) will grab them and pull them into the vehicle.

If children routinely see the same car parked (or following them) on their normal walking routes (to and from school, to a friends house, etc.) they should report it to trusted adults immediately.

WHAT IF HE HAS A WEAPON?
This rarely ever happens, But it’s important to know what to do just in case. Tell your child if someone has a knife or a gun, and tries to force them into a vehicle it would be scary, and they might get hurt. Always start with this statement because it has the ring of truth to children. This way they will be far better prepared to take your advice on what to do next.

Continue in a very calm, but definite voice... "Almost always, if a person is threatening with a gun or a knife, the safest thing to do is to get away from this dangerous person and to a safer place as quickly as you can. Don’t believe what this person tells you.  Even if the person is threatening to shoot you or someone else, the safest thing you can do for everyone is to leave and get help.”

Many children think if they just do what the person says and get into the vehicle, they will not be hurt. This could not be further from the truth. Most child abducters/molesters do not have the initial intent of murder. They simply want to satisfy their perverted sexual urges. It's only after they've committed their heinous/immoral crime, that the fear of being identified and caught causes them to consider "getting rid of " any witnesses.

The first few seconds are crucial. If someone brandishes a weapon, the faster your child runs away to a safer or more crowded place, the less likely they are to be hurt.

Many tragedies have made it painfully clear, trying to go along with an attacker is likely to make the situation more dangerous. In the first few seconds, a child abducter does not know how a child is going to react, if they manage to remove your child to an isolated area, they are far more likeky to feel confident that they can do "whatever they want to"

Tell children that if they are near a dangerous person, their goal is to get away from that person as quickly as they can and get to an adult they trust, without waiting for anyone to tell them to get away. Even if the dangerous person tells them to stay. Tell them not to believe anything a dangerous person says. If they cannot get away at first, their safety plan is to keep looking for a new chance to get away, and be prepared to escape at the first opportunity.

Listen to your children and acknowledge their fears. Instead of telling them not to be afraid, tell them, “It’s normal to be afraid sometimes. I think you will feel less afraid if we practice what to do.”

Control discussions so that children don’t build anxiety by imagining worst-case scenarios. Tell children to “be safe in thier imagination". Imagine how you can get away and win instead of imagining how you are going to lose.

 

This article is brought to you by North American Security Products, llc self defense information site

More information about the Amber Alert can be found at The center for missing and exploited children

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