|
Children today are more educated and more exposed to the world around them.
Children of today face more dangers than ever before. And children of today face these dangers at a younger age than ever before.As a society, our efforts to prevent crimes against children have not kept pace
with the increasing vulnerability of our young citizens. The sad truth is that child abduction is an issue that all parents must face. We can no longer simply tell our children not to talk to strangers and let them
walk out the door. In May of 1990, the U.S. Department of Justice released a study of annual
incidents against children, and these numbers are rapidly increasing ...
|
|
114,600 attempted abductions of children by non-family members. |
|
|
|
4,600 abductions by non-family members reported to police. |
|
|
|
300 abductions by non-family members where the children were gone for long periods of time or were murdered. |
|
|
|
354,000 children abducted by family members. |
|
As you can see, the faces of "stranger danger" are many. It can be someone the child does not know, or someone the child knows very well. One thing is sure --
we need to educate our children today to ensure a safe tomorrow.The
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children published a "Report
to the Nation" and recommended that the best way of prevention is through education. Other than from you, the parent, a child receives most of his
education at school. Presently there are only 15 states with mandatory safety education.Herbie the Hippo's curriculum program has been instituted in two states, but
we need your help so that every child may have this opportunity to learn. Herbie's program teaches "stranger danger" with a situational approach --
that children should be wary of certain situations rather than just strangers. Why? Because the predator may not necessarily be a "stranger" in the eyes of that child.
Herbie the Hippo endeavors to empower children and teach them that they have a right to say "No!" |
