Every year in this country, the number of children abducted from home, school, streets and places of worship keep increasing yet we rely solely on “it’s not my portion”. How far can that keep our children safe in the face of teeming security challenges?
Here is what you can do or advocate for:
1) Empower your child
Teach them that no matter what, only you or an “agreed” adult should pick them always. E.g. if Aunty Bola always picks them from school, they should never go with Uncle Henry if you did not sanction it with them and the caregivers. Teach them what to do when they find themselves in “suspicious” situations (kick, scream and call attention to themselves). Teach them other tactics like saying NO, having a family password, walking in groups or moving away from suspicious vehicles.
2) Child Protection Policy
This must be present in every facility that caters to children e.g places of worship, recreational facilities, child minding facilities etc. A policy is a good first step because other elements are built upon it: planning, procedures, training, monitoring and review. How do you plan to keep children in your care safe, have the procedures been created and communicated, what is the minimum qualification of the child minder, are they aware of existing procedure, how is this monitored, what happens if there is a breach, how often is this reviewed? Ideally you would need safety professionals to help you create these however having an idea of this helps you make informed contributions. When organisations working with children answer these questions correctly, it puts them in a better position to manage situations appropriately.
3) Find out the abduction prevention procedure in your child’s school.
Schools are resuming soon and it is important you know about this. Does it exist? Is it being complied with? Do you think it’s sufficient? What are the possible loopholes an abductor can take advantage of? From your observations, make recommendations. It is not busybody when you are being proactive about your child’s safety. When next you go out with your child or go to pick your child, assess the access control critically.
While this is about abduction, it doesn’t end here. What other aspects of your child’s safety can be compromised when they are out of your care? Always speak up about your concerns, it might save their life.
