Durban - Police and a child advocacy organisation have advised parents on key safety tips that could help safeguard children from abductors.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said parents should tell their children not to go with strangers (including advising them not to get into their vehicles), to avoid walking alone and in secluded areas.
According to Missing Children SA - a non-profit organisation founded after the murders of Anestacia Wiese of Mitchell’s Plain and Sheldean Human of Pretoria - parents should heed the following tips:
- Do not wait 24 hours to report a missing child.
- Know the whereabouts of your child, including what they are wearing.
- Keep a recent photo of your child so it can be made available to authorities.
- Make an effort to know your child’s friends (their numbers and addresses).
- Teach your child their names and addresses and include your own.
- Take children to the hospital and police station so they know where it is located.
- Teach children to take the same route to and from places so parents can search that route if they go missing.
- Teach children to never trust strangers.
- Create a family password and advise them to only go home with a person who knows that password.
- Monitor your children’s social media activities.