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Advocate Editorial Board opinion: Children should be taught how to stay safe from kidnappers

  • By the Advocate Editorial Board
  • Originally published September 24, 2012 at 4:42 p.m., updated September 24, 2012 at 4:42 p.m.

Children bring joy to our lives. Their playful ways can make the grouchiest people smile. But sadly, the world is not always safe for them, as one Victoria family found out earlier this month.

We are grateful that 9-year-old Hayden LaVergne is safe. He faced a frightening, potentially traumatic event and was able to escape to safety. And while we are sorry such a thing happened to him, we think parents everywhere should take this as a warning and reminder of the importance of teaching their children what to do if someone were to try to take them.

The prospect of losing a child is a terrifying idea for any parent, and we all wish we could be with our children constantly to protect them. But the truth is, we will not always be with our children, which is why it is vital that parents take the time to teach their children how to be safe when alone.

According to parentinghelpme.com, parents should take several steps when teaching their children how to stay safe from kidnappers and pedophiles.

First, they should understand what a stranger is and who are "good strangers" and "bad strangers." Good strangers can be defined as people the child's parents know or people in uniform, such as law enforcement officers or firemen. Bad strangers may not always look bad, so parents should remind children to only go with people they know or get help from "good strangers."

If the children are confronted with a stranger who tries to take them, children should know to run, yell and tell. By running and making noise, the children draw public attention to themselves, making a potential kidnapper less likely to chase them. Then the child can tell someone who can be trusted what happened. Children should also always have a buddy with them when in public. This increases the chance that one or both of the children can escape if someone tries to take them.

But most of all, we encourage parents to teach their children the warning signs of a dangerous situation. Parents can teach as many defense tactics as they want, but if a child can't recognize when they are in danger, the teaching is useless. Warn your children about approaching people in strange cars. Do some role-playing to show your kids what a potential kidnapper might say or do to entice them. By doing these things, parents can help their children stay safe every day.

Above all, we hope this is a situation no other child will find themselves in. We are happy that Hayden is still safe at home, and we hope his experience will not leave him too frightened. We are grateful that attempted kidnappings are fairly rare in Victoria, and we hope no other children will have to go through a similar experience. But if they do, we hope they will be prepared.

This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.