Keeping your child safe at malls this holiday season
A child goes missing every five hours in South Africa. Here
are ways to ensure your little ones are kept safe this Festive Season.
South Africa is sadly referred to as a hub for human trafficking. Thousands of children go missing every year, so parents and guardians need to be more vigilant to protect their little ones.
In 2020, eNCA reported that Gauteng had the highest cases of kidnappings.
There are different types of kidnappings:
- Ransom kidnapping – This kind of kidnapping is usually targeted at wealthy families. So, children can be taken, and the kidnappers will ask for a large sum of money from the family.
- Opportunistic kidnapping based on financial or political motives.
- Family abduction kidnapping – This is usually when a parent abducts or kidnaps a child to get back at the other parent, especially when they are apart.
- Kidnapping for traditional medicine.
- Human trafficking where sexual exploitation, illegal adoption, and forced labour occurs.
Many kidnappers view the holiday season as an opportunistic time.
This is because schools are closed and many children play on the streets unsupervised. They also go to malls or spend a lot of time on their gadgets where the perpetrators can take advantage of them by asking personal information or setting up appointments to meet.
READ: Instagram beefs up child protection measures
How to keep your child safe
- Children are being lured on social media by false profiles and strangers that take advantage of their innocence. As a parent, it is of paramount importance that you check your child’s phone and check who they are engaging with.
- Be vigilant and make sure you are in a position where you can always see your children, especially in public places.
- Do not trust strangers with your children.
- Teach your children that they must not accept gifts from strangers or even trust them.
- When you are out in malls or go to eat out, always accompany your children to the toilet.
- Dress your children in bright clothes so that they are easily spotted when in a crowd.
Lastly, if possible, leave your children at home with a trusted guardian or family member. It is also important to let your child memorise your cellphone number and he or she must know their own name, surname, address, and your name as a parent.
READ: 14 ways to ensure your child is safe this festive season
Image courtesy of iStock/ @Saklakova