Awareness tipps for children

Source: National Missing Children's Locate Center, Kanada (offline)

• Don't "go" with strangers! Talking to strangers when with someone you know and trust is fine in most cases.
• Don't accept gifts from anyone not specifically OK'd by your parents.
• Don't accept rides from strangers, or even someone you know. Unless your parents have specially said it's OK to go in a car with that person.
• Don't talk to strange people on the other side of schoolyard fence. Go and tell a teacher that a stranger is talking to you, especially if they are asking "any" questions.
• Listen to your parents, because they're teaching you self-defense daily, when they tell you:
  • where you should be,
  • what time to be home,
  • and to go directly home.
    • Parents do this out of love for you.
• Listen to your teachers when they tell you where to go and what to do around school grounds, because that's self-defense, too.

If you have to walk on the public streets, walk in the "middle" of the sidewalk, away from doorways and alley-ways. Face traffic so someone can't drive up from behind and grab you, and always watch for strangers when they approach.

• Don't take "unsafe shortcuts" across parks, etc.
• Get immediate attention of anyone nearby if you feel threatened.
  • Yell "FIRE! FIRE!" and NOT "HELP!" because there are many tragic instances where people have run away from those yelling "Help!" but fire is such a threat to everyone that they generally come to at least see what's happening.
• Even break a window, if necessary.
  • Don't be afraid to draw attention to yourself!
  • "The window can be replaced, but you cannot be replaced!!"