Thinking about child safety, this news item here caught my interest. It is about a Broward County Public School District in Florida, US that has begun a pilot program to teach children safety tips on how to avoid problems with strangers. Under the Amber Watch safety pilot program, the school aims to teach safety topics and tips on how to answer the door and phone at home, safe ways to walk to and from school, how to avoid strangers, abductions and what to do if you get lost. The program will be conducted over 12 weeks, incorporating safety booklets and video presentations.
The programme is run by the AmberWatch Foundation that is dedicated to the prevention of child abduction and molestation. Through its “Be Safe!” Education Program, the Foundation’s mission is to (by the end of 2008) educate 25 million elementary-aged children, and their parents, on how to identify potential endangerment scenarios and stay out of the hands of abductors and predators. The Foundation website states:
When it comes to issues of personal safety, we believe that if the children and parents can see it, hear it, and talk about it, they will learn it! For this reason, we have created a dynamic three-pronged approach to fulfilling our mission, including:
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Presentation of the “Be Safe!” Curriculum in schools with the help of local law enforcement professionals.
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Distribution of the “Be Safe!” Book to ignite conversation between parents and children.
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Dissemination of print, radio and television public service announcements nationwide.
The AmberWatch Foundation “Be Safe!” Education Program:
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Teaches children how to identify potential endangerment scenarios and protect themselves from abuse, abduction and exploitation
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Empowers children with the information, tools, and support they need to be safe, without frightening them
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Provides parents with a checklist of simple safety measures, deterrence strategies and solutions to minimize the chances of harm to their children
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Ignites conversation and interaction between parents and children regarding the dangers posed by abductors and molesters
Find out more about the AmberWatch programmes here. What I find interesting is the emphasis given to educating children on their own safety without scaring them. This is in addition to the Amber Alert system already in place. Both the AmberWatch and Amber Alert system requires participation and support of the Police. This might be where Rakancop can play a role in Nurin Alert and Nurin Watch programmes for Malaysia.
