Child Safety Advocate, Michael Pouls, warns families about a common trick used by child predators.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) November 15, 2011 --

On occasion, adults need assistance. For example, an adult driving through an unfamiliar neighborhood might ask for help finding a particular home. That adult may or may not be dangerous, and caution should always be exercised. But to a greater degree, an adult asking a child for help should immediately raise a huge red flag. “Children need to know that adults may ask other adults for assistance, but it is unusual for an adult to ask a child for assistance,” warns child safety advocate, Michael Pouls. “Children can be eager to prove what they know or what they can do, but they should know that if they are being singled out for assistance, they need to remove themselves from that person and that situation immediately.”

The trick used by child predators is to lure children away from the safety of a crowd and a public place. For example, someone holding heavy bags may ask a child to help him by opening their car door, which happens to be at the far end of the street or parking lot. The child, being eager to help, may run toward the car, away from the safety of his or her friends. Educating children to recognize these potentially dangerous situations enables them to avoid very real threats to their safety. “The old saying that there is safety in numbers applies here,” continues Michael Pouls, “a child being singled out by a stranger, a coach, an educator, a friend of the family – anyone – should recognize that they are at risk and immediately remove themselves, and tell their parent or guardian.”

child safety