Rules For Children

1. Take Trips With Your Friends.

When you walk to school, the store, or go biking, take a friend along. It not only makes the trip more fun, but safer as well! If you can travel with more than one person, that is even better. If you live far from your friends, find out if there are other kids in your neighborhood that would like company, maybe even younger children that you could help out. If you need to walk alone know the route you are taking and safety spots.

2. Have Safety Spots.

Knowing where safety spots are can be very important if you are walking to school or out playing in your neighborhood. Safety spots are trusted neighbors, police stations, restaurants, information desks in shopping centres etc. that you can go to for help if you feel scared, unsafe or if someone is following you. Make sure that when you are walking around or out playing that you stay away from areas that do not have many people around, like alley ways, woods, or deserted buildings.

3. Don’t Help Strangers.

If a stranger ever approaches you and asks you to help him/her find something that he/she has lost (for example, a puppy or money) or asks you for directions – do not answer, simply run away and find an adult that you know or a safety spot. Adults should not ask children for help, so do not feel bad for not helping.

4. Don’t Accept ANY Gifts from Strangers.

If a stranger ever offers you money or a gift – DO NOT accept it! Do not even get close enough to see the gift that is being offered. Do not accept the gift even if it is something that you really, really want. If the gift is being offered by a stranger, ignore that person and run away.

5. Never get into Strangers’ Cars.

If a stranger ever pulls up in a car and asks you to get in for a ride or to get in for ANY reason, DO NOT get in the car. Run away from the car and find an adult that you know or a safety spot. If you get out of school and a stranger is waiting and says he/she was sent for you, do not get in. Even if he/she uses your name and tells you that it is an emergency, do not get in. Quickly find a teacher or aide and tell them what has happened. They will help you solve the problem.

6. Trust Your Feelings.

Have you ever had a bad feeling about something or someone? Those feelings are called instincts. We all have them, but we can’t see them or touch them. They can be very helpful to us. For example, if someone is walking toward you and you do not feel good about it, trust yourself and walk away. Even if your instincts tell you that a stranger is okay, you still need to follow the stranger danger rules first. Unfortunately, bad people do not always look bad. They can appear to be very nice. But following the rules can keep you safe!

7. Never let a Stranger into Your home.

If you happen to be home alone, NEVER let a stranger into the house or anyone else without your parent’s permission. Make sure that you know how to call 999 in an emergency (See rule 9). Examples of emergencies can be someone trying to get into the house, fire, you are hurt, etc. Never let someone knocking on the door or calling on the phone know that you are alone. You can always say that your parents are busy and take a message.

8. If you Are scared or threatened, YELL LOUD!!!!

The number one weapon that you have against strangers is your voice. If you ever feel scared or threatened, do not hesitate to shout as loudly as you can. If a stranger ever tries to grab you, you can shout things like “Help, Stranger!” “Hey, Leave me Alone!” and “Help, This isn’t my mum/dad!”

9. Know how to dial the police, fire brigade, trusted neighbor.

Make sure that you know how to call 999 in emergencies and how to use public phones. Make sure that you can tell the person on the line, your first and last name, your address, and your phone number with area code.

10. Tell a parent or trusted adult about any Strange People or Events.

If ANY situation that is strange or just not right happens, tell someone! If anyone approaches you or touches you in any way that you do not feel comfortable with, tell someone! Do not be afraid to talk to parents or trusted adults about it.