The GBI reports 16,638 registered sex offenders in Georgia as of September 30, 2011. They are scattered throughout our state, in the large metro areas and in the small towns and rural areas. In the US, it is estimated that there are over 400,000 pedophiles (that equates to about one per square mile).
In just the past week, we’ve seen a number of stories about sexual predators approaching children. The mayor of Taylorsville (a small northwest Georgia town) was arrested for attempting to meet with a minor for sex. Imagine his surprise when the minor he thought he was about to violate turned out to be a posse of FBI agents. According to news reports, people who know him would never have believed that this could be possible; and that’s the paradigm of the child predator, more often than not it’s the “guy next door.”
We heard also about two recent rapes of young girls, one on Halloween night behind a Dekalb elementary school, and one just over a week prior to that in Sandy Springs.
This information could not be more terrifying for parents. Everywhere we turn, there is another story about a child being victimized. Sometimes it’s a stranger, often it’s an acquaintance, relative or friend. What can parents do to lessen their children’s risk? Unfortunately there is no easy answer. It takes a lot of time, energy and repetition to help a child develop good safety habits.
The first and most important thing to do is to open the dialogue with your children. These stories, while alarming, are great conversation starters. Talk about Halloween and then talk about this attack. Ask your children what they might have done differently to stay safer.
Guide them to the understanding that anytime they are alone, they are twice as likely to be a target of crime, there is safety in numbers. Instruct them that they should always choose walking routes that are well lit and have lots of people and activity. Cutting through the woods on a path is always more risky than walking on a sidewalk along a busy street.
If you leave children at home alone, make sure that they keep all doors and windows locked at all times. Make sure they know to never open the door while you’re away, especially to a stranger (even an acquaintance or neighbor should be suspect if children are at home alone…teach them to keep their guard up for everyone). Have them check in with you at specified times so that you can be assured of their continued safety, you can set up specific times on the clock, or you can choose arrival/departure times so that you know your children are coming and going on schedule. If they don’t check in on time and you are unable to reach them, you should immediately call the police.
Monitor your child on the internet. The mayor of Taylorsville is a drop in the bucket. Tens of thousands of predators use the internet to lure children for sex, to exchange pornography with other sex predators, and to engage in lurid online chats with children and teens. This is rampant online, and parents need to keep their guard up at all times regarding their children’s activity. Manipulation of a child online is so easy for predators, they can be whoever they want to be and your naïve child will believe everything they say.
Vigilance, continuous dialogue and good training are all keys to keeping your children safer. What are you doing on a daily basis to ensure that your child won’t be the next evening news headline?
Is your child ever safe enough? Visit www.revvedupkids.com to learn more. Follow us on Twitter for a daily safety tip texted to your cell phone. Go to www.twitter.com/revvedupkids to sign up.
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