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10
Ways to Protect Your Child
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- Tell
your child about the abduction problem in a calm, simple way as if
teaching any other important coping skill.
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- By
age five, your child should know the names for private parts of
the body, know the difference between "good touch" and
"bad touch."
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- Teach
your child his or her full name, address, telephone number
(including area code), and how to dial "911" for
help or "0" for operator.
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- Keep
your child in sight at all times. Most abductions occur
within a few blocks of the victim's home - even their own front
yard - when the child is left alone and unsupervised.
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- Adults
rarely ask children for directions or help. Teach your child
that if this happens, they should ignore the person asking and go
home or to another safe place.
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- Teach
your child that a stranger is anyone they don't know well.
Strangers can be kind and friendly, but they are still strangers.
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- Do
not purchase clothing or school supplies with your child's name on
them. Knowing a child's name is a way for an abductor to
establish a rapport with a child.
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- Teach
your child that it is okay to run away and scream if someone is
making them do something they don't want to do. They should
then go and tell you or a trusted adult what happened.
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- Never
leave your child alone in a car or unattended in a supermarket or
shopping mall. Teach your child to go to the nearest store
clerk for help if you get separated.
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- Take
head-and-shoulder photos of your child at least once a year.
Child Find of America Inc. is a national not-for-profit organization
that locates missing children through active investigation, prevents
child abduction through education, and resolves incidents of parental
abduction through mediation.
1-800-I-AM-LOST
1-800-A-WAY OUT
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Avoid parental
abduction
(PDF document)
Avoid stranger
abduction
(PDF document)
Runaway warning
signs
(PDF document)
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