Child Protection Week runs from 25 May to 1 June and Honeydew Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs shared advice that parents should remember to teach their children.
“It’s for parents to prepare their children for any emergency and they (children) should follow the next tips in order to protect themselves,” explained WO Jacobs.
- Children must know their full names, age and address.
- A child should know what their parents numbers are, the SAPS number (10111) and a close relative during a emergency.
- When home alone, a child should first obtain the identity of the person at the door/gate without having to open the door. Even if the parent isn’t home, the child should still say that his father/mother is busy and that the person should come back later.
- A child should know that a stranger is not to be trusted and children should know that strangers rarely ask children for help in finding things – explain to your child that men and women are strangers.
- You must know where your children are at all times, know their friends and be clear with them about the places and homes they may visit. And listen to your child, if he/she tells you that they do not want to be with someone or go somewhere.
- Teach your children that they have the right to refuse any unwelcome, uncomfortable or confusing touch by others and to get out of those situations as quickly as possible.
- Be sensitive to any changes in your child’s behaviour and encourage open dialect.
- Practise basic safety skills with your children by going out to a mall or a park and teach them how to react in those environments and to strangers around them.
- Develop code words for people your trust to fetch your children in emergencies and teach your child these words/phrases. Tell them not to go with anyone who does not know the code words.
Related story: How easy is it to abduct your child?
