Teach your kids to identify and how to avoid strange people
Children see strangers every day in stores, in the park, and in their neighborhoods. Most of them are normal and nice people, but some may not be. Learn how to teach your child to identify those people and situations that can be dangerous.
Who is strange and who is not?
Not all strangers pose a danger and, therefore, children must learn to identify those strangers who they should avoid and who they do not have to doubt.
If at any time they need help they will also have to go to a stranger; for example, if they are lost, if another child wants to hit them or if someone is chasing them. Therefore, they must understand that not all strangers are bad people and that certain strangers can be trusted.
What kinds of strangers can you trust? If a child needs help, who should they turn to?
First, teach him to look for someone in uniform, especially police officers, security guards, firefighters, or store clerks. If you cannot find anyone in a uniform, you can go to women, people with children or the elderly, and it is always recommended that you do so in public places. In the same way, show your child where the homes of friends and family and neighborhood shops and restaurants are where they can go if they need help. It is also recommended that you use your common sense and avoid people who make you feel uncomfortable.
On the other hand, it is common for children to distrust strangers with an evil or scary appearance; Little ones tend to think that bad people look like cartoon villains, when they don’t. As parents, explain to children to get rid of this idea and not judge people by their appearance, but by their actions. Little ones should understand that most dangerous people, especially abusers and child abductors, seem normal and friendly.
It is vitally important to teach children to recognize potentially dangerous situations. The best way to protect your child is for her to learn to recognize warning signs and suspicious behaviors. Tell him to be suspicious and ask for help immediately when a stranger:
- Offers you to go for a walk or a drive.
- Offer you a gift like treats or toys.
- Asks you to disobey your parents or do something without permission.
- Asks for your help with something (to search for a lost dog, for example).
- Asks you to keep a secret.
- Tries to touch his/her private parts or asks to touch his/her.
- It makes you feel uncomfortable in any way.
If any of these situations occur, make sure your child follows these 4 steps:
- Say no
- Flee the place
- Scream as loud as possible
- Explain what happened to a trusted adult
Prevent encounters with strangers
In addition to making sure your child learns these tips, you can also apply the following precautions to help him stay away from dangers:
- Know where you are at all times. Make sure he/she informs you and asks for permission when he/she goes somewhere.
- Point out the safest places. Show him/her the safest places to play and neighborhood roads.
- Advise to trust his/her instincts. Even if it has no logical explanation, if your child does not have a good feeling about a person or situation, it is better to walk away.
- Encourage him/her to play in a group. It is always recommended and safer for children to play in a group and be accompanied by other children.
Meeting of strangers online
Today, it is also important to teach children how to detect dangers, especially during adolescence. Not only in person, but also on the Internet. In general, the same criteria should be applied as in real life. In any case, he/she advises kids to always follow these guidelines to navigate safely:
- Remind them that their actions on the Internet also have consequences in real life.
- Tell them to limit the type of information they share, especially not to publish their personal information and not to have sexual conversations with strangers.
- Encourage good manners online too.
- Limit access to their profiles. Most social networks and chats have privacy options that, for example, can limit the ‘friends’ list to only people they really know.
- Talk to them about what they do on the internet. It is important to know what they post and who they communicate with.
