Gaurav Goyal 
Child abduction is the worst nightmare a parent can ever imagine. Parents should educate their children with interesting examples of how to identify the danger and also how to get rid of it. The danger can come to them in the most unexpected and the most pleasing ways, which the child will not be able to sense it.
Here are the five tips to educate child about stranger danger:
Strangers need not be Scary
As a child, we have imagined abductors to be bad looking and scary people, but they are as good as normal adults, instead, their facial looks will be very pleasing and appealing to attract the child. Their sweet attitude makes the children fall prey to their dirty tricks.
- The simple logic to educate your child is to make them aware that don’t trust unknown people, irrespective of how much convincing they are.
Child info on Personal Belongings
Do not add detailed information about the child on the surface of the belongings which any outsider can immediately access. Adding information like child name, parent’s name, phone number or address gives the abductor the required information to do friendship with the child. The child will believe his words and admires him to be a friend and may go with him or her.
- Do not display any personal information on the child’s belongings.
Trust your gut feeling
Teach the child to trust their heart and in case they are getting any negative vibes from a stranger, ask them not to talk or even go near to the unknown person. Be a friend of your kids, so they don’t keep any secrets with themselves. If the children are hesitant to meet or greet certain people, they should not be forced, either they have some bad experience or need some time to adjust to the new person.
- Be a friend of your children to maintain transparency between your parent-child relationships.
Seek Help in case of Danger
Make your child aware of certain circumstances wherein he/she needs to call in for “HELP”. Communicate with them that if any adult is troubling them, or insisting for some help, or even playing a drama that parents are sick and asking for coming along with them to meet the parents, or giving a drop to school/relative’s home, say “NO”. And, if still the stranger is not leaving then do all the possible tricks and tantrums to attract the police/mob, cry with the loudest voice, beat, kick, bite, do whatever is possible, just ran away from there, and reach a safer place.
- Educate your child to approach police, trustable people nearby if any, friends or relatives living nearby, to protect themselves from upcoming danger.
Memorize Basic Information
Make your child memorize some basic contact information. Toddlers will know you as “mummy” or “daddy” with which it is difficult to trace the parents. A child should know the parent’s full name, phone number, and address. They should also know the police phone number in case of emergencies. Depending upon the child’s capacity, considering age, memorize important information to them.
- A 5-year-old child MUST know one of the parent’s phone number.
