Preventing Abduction
An Action Plan for Parents
1. Communicate weekly with your children about safety.
2. Teach child safety strategies.
3. Have a password for your children if you are unable to pick them up—and only send neighbors or friends. Even then, the child should not go if she doesn’t feel comfortable.
4. Listen to your child if she does not feel comfortable with someone. Trust your child’s instincts—and your own.
5. Know your community. Find out if there are sexual offenders residing nearby.
6. Know what your child is doing online.
7. Ask questions. Look for warning signs (e.g., someone being overly friendly and wanting to spend time alone with your child). Don’t allow sleepovers if you don’t know the parents well.
8. Don’t punish your child by taking away her cell phone (except when she is at home). When she goes out, don’t take away the one form of communication you have with her. A cell phone can be a valuable tool in locating your child if she ever goes missing.
9. Be prepared and have an updated photograph and descriptive information about your child (height, weight, clothing)—or simply become AMBER Ready so your child’s information can be readily available and quickly disseminated by law enforcement.
10. Notify police immediately! There is no waiting period for when a child goes missing. In an AMBER Ready survey conducted with 3,000 parents, only six knew that they did not have to wait to contact police. Most thought they had to wait 24 hours. The police are bound by law to act immediately in cases involving missing children. Remember, you are your child’s greatest advocate.
For more information about this topic, view our articles and resources below:
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by Frank DelVecchio, Sr. Vice President, AMBER Ready, Inc.
