Stranger Danger

A pedophile will not look like a monster or the child-catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Pedophiles can come from all walks of life, and look no different from anybody else. They may be in positions of power and trust. Many of them work by becoming familiar with children, preying especially on more vulnerable people such as single parents.

Our children see us talking to people we don’t know, and we need to alert them to stranger danger. Just as we teach them not to touch the stove, we must teach them that talking to strangers is something that grown-ups can do, but that they cannot. They need to understand that a stranger is anybody that they don’t know, man or woman, young or old, and that they must never go anywhere with them.

We teach our children to respect their elders, but it is vitally important that we teach them they have an absolute right to say 'no' somebody they don’t know. They must learn that this is not being rude; this is exactly what you would want them to do. Tell your kids they can also say 'no' to anything an adult wants to do which upsets or scares them. You may want to teach them that, if they get separated, they can speak to a policeman, or a uniformed shop-assistant.

Talk about not keeping secrets. Let your kids know they can tell you anything - even if someone has made them promise they won't tell or pressured them into keeping a secret. Teach them a level sex education, including the names of body parts from an early age and consider finding a way to explain what is appropriate touch and what is not. Children should know their bodies belong to them. Keep your kids safe by teaching them the basics of stranger danger, and to say no.