Child protection is the responsibility of the parents who should take proactive steps in protecting their children from abuse. You need to engage your children, talk with them about their bodies, show them you are there to answer their questions and always try to create an atmosphere of trust.
Respecting what your children say is vital in facilitating and encouraging your children to share their concerns. You need to avoid ignoring your children to reduce their vulnerability to abuse.
Below are some of the ways you may use to protect your children.
Avoid revealing your children names
Avoid writing the name of your children names on their personal belongings such as a backpack, lunch box or any other possessions. This way, you prevent strangers from accessing the private information of your children.
Addressing your children in front of strangers using their names wins your children trust to the strangers which is a dangerous manipulation.
Inventing a family password
This is useful in cases where a stranger offers to take your children home. The children may inquire from the stranger about your names or your family password. Therefore, you need to invent a code phrase with your children for emergencies. You may use something simple, unexpected and impossible to guess.
Breaking off conversations and keeping a distance from strangers
Make your children understand that they should not talk to strangers, and they should avoid long conversations. If the conversation lasts longer, they should leave and proceed to a safer location. While on a conversation, they should always stand at a distance of some feet away from the stranger. If the stranger moves closer to them, they should take a few steps backward.
You need to practice this situation with your children to show them what you mean by a few steps and stress on the need to maintain it.
Advise them to avoid sharing elevators with strangers
You need to advise your children to have excuses for which they should not enter an elevator with a stranger. Teach them the best options such as pretending to have forgotten something or going to check the mailbox. If the stranger insists on riding the elevator with them, they should resist politely.
If the stranger tries to drag them into the elevator, it is crucial that they scream or bite the stranger until somebody comes to rescue them.
Avoid letting strangers know that their parents are away
If there is a knock at the door and they cannot see anybody through the peephole, they should not open the door. They should not let the stranger know that you are away even if they claim to be friends or workmates.
Protecting your children is critical in ensuring they don’t face any abuse.