Know the Rules...Abduction and
Kidnapping Prevention Tips for Parents and Guardians
High-profile abductions, although rare occurrences, may leave
some families frightened and unsure about how to best protect
their children. According to a study conducted by the Washington State
Attorney General’s
Office for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, 40.3 percent of those who experienced one
of the most serious forms of child abduction were victims of opportunity1.
To help minimize the opportunity, children should be supervised by you
or another trusted adult and taught how to recognize and avoid potentially
dangerous situations. This is better than expecting your children to
rely on their judgment only about people.
The tips noted below will help families lessen the opportunity for abduction
and kidnapping and better safeguard their children.
- Teach your children to run away from danger, never
toward it. Danger is anyone or anything invading their personal space.
If anyone should try to grab them, tell them to make a scene; loudly
yell this person is not my father/mother/guardian; and make every effort
to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting. Their safety is more
important than being polite. Teach your children if they are ever followed
in a vehicle to turn around and run in the other direction to you or
another trusted adult.
- Never let your children go places alone, and always
supervise your young children or make sure there is another trusted
adult present to supervise them if you cannot. Make sure your older
children always take a friend when they go anywhere.
- Know where your children are and whom they are with at all
times. Remind children to never take anything or respond
in any way if approached by anyone they don’t know, and also
remind them to never approach a vehicle without your permission.
Teach them to run away as quickly as possible to you or another
trusted adult.
- Talk openly to your children about safety and encourage
them to tell you or a trusted adult if anyone or anything makes them
feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. Discuss safety issues
with your children so they will understand the need for precautions.
Advise your older children about steps they may take to help safeguard
themselves. Know your children’s friends and their families.
Pay attention to your children and listen to them. If you don’t,
someone else may. And others may have
ulterior motives for befriending your children.
- Practice what you teach by creating “what
if” scenarios with your children to make sure they understand
the safety message and are able to use it in a real situation.
- Consider installing an alarm system in your home
with a monitoring feature. If you do not have an alarm system, consider
purchasing less expensive wireless door and window alarms. Make sure
your home is secured with deadbolt locks, and ensure landscaping
around it doesn’t
provide places for people to hide. Check other access points such
as gates, and make sure they have been secured. Consider installing
exterior lighting around your home. Make sure your home is fully
secured before you go to sleep and items such as ladders have been
stored inside. Prepare a plan to vacate your home in case of any emergency.
This should include but is not limited to a fire. Have a plan if
an intruder tries or gets into your home.
- Make your children part of securing your home. If
you have installed an alarm system, demonstrate it to your children
and show them how to make sure doors and windows are locked. This will
not only help calm their fears but will also help make them part of
your “safety plan” at home.
- Have a list of family members who could be contacted in case
of an emergency. Designate a family member or close associate
who would be able to fill the role of advisor in case of an emergency.
- Be alert to and aware of your surroundings. Know
the “escape routes” and plan what you would do in different
emergencies. Practice “what if” scenarios, so you will be
well prepared. Know the location of local hospitals and best routes
to take to reach them. Know how to reach the nearest local lawenforcement
agency or sub-station.
- Know your employees and coworkers. Do background
screening and reference checks on everyone who works at your home,
particularly those individuals who care for your children. Their knowledge
of your family is extensive so make sure you have an equivalent understanding
of them. National access to sex-offender registries is available at
www.nsopw.gov.
- Consider varying your daily routines and habits.
Do not take the same routes or go at the same time on your regular errands.
If you take your children to school, change that route as well.
- Take steps to secure personal information about yourself.
Consider getting a post office box and registering everything you may
there including your vehicles and drivers’ licenses. Have
personal bills sent to your place of work or the post office box.
Be discreet about your possessions and family’s personal
habits and information. Take steps to protect your identity by not
revealing too much information and notifying authorities of any
irregularities.
- Report any suspicious persons or activities to law enforcement.If
you feel anyone in your family has been targeted or is being stalked,
immediately report this information to law-enforcement authorities.
Do not wait.
- Remember you are your best resource for better safeguarding
your family. Stay alert, informed, and vigilant about personal-security
issues.
1 Katherine M. Brown,
Robert D. Keppel, Joseph G. Weis, and Marvin E. Skeen. Case Management
for Missing Children Homicide Investigation: Executive Summary.
Olympia, Washington: Office of the Attorney General State of Washington
and U.S. Department of Justice’s
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, May 2006, page
33, accessed April 15, 2009, at http://www.atg.wa.gov/uploadedFiles/Another/Supporting_Law_
Enforcement/Homicide_Investigation_Tracking_System_(HITS)/Child_Abduction_Murder_
Research/CMIIPDF.pdf. This study is based on the analysis of 735 child-abduction
murder cases occurring in the United States.
Copyright © 2002 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
All rights reserved.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2007-MC-CX-K001
awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention,
Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department
of Justice. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of
the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or
policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and
1-800-THE-LOST®
are registered service marks of the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children. NCMEC Order #94. |
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