[VIDEO] A safe word can make all the difference
Not only is child abduction a common occurrence, it is also on the rise, with a staggering 2 185 children going missing in Africa every day, according to Childline. The use of safe words is something that organisations such as Childline emphasise often.
POLOKWANE – Not only is child abduction a common occurrence, it is also on the rise, with a staggering 2 185 children going missing in Africa every day, according to Childline.
The use of safe words is something that organisations such as Childline emphasise often.
Irene Kganyago, a training and capacity building (TCB) worker from Childline, holds this close to her heart.
She feels it is important for parents be involved in the training of their children in life skills and have a safe word for the children to use when confronted by strangers.
“Besides the safe words, we also teach children not to take anything from strangers as this will form a bond with the stranger and make the stranger less of a danger,” she says.
Kganyago recommends: “every household should create a secret word or phrase that is easy to remember and to use in the event that someone else has to pick up your child(ren). This may or may not be a person that is familiar to your child(ren). It is so imperative to use a secret word or phrase even if the child(ren) know the person that is picking them up.”
“Agreeing on one word or even one phrase that only you and your child or children know as their safe word can only be a positive thing right?” she asked.
