One of the scariest parts about raising a child is worrying about what could happen to them. This is why protecting your children is one of your biggest jobs as a parent. What’s especially important is protecting your child from being abducted, particularly if their other parent may have a reason to abduct them. Protecting your child from abduction starts with making sure your custody documents are all in order. If you want to prevent your child from being abducted, here are some tips from The Committee for Missing Children.
Take Care of Custody Documents
The first thing you need to do if you want to prevent your child from being abducted is make sure your custody documents are in order. If your child is abducted by the other parent but there’s no custody order in place, you’ll have a more difficult legal battle ahead of you. If you have a custody order that prevents the other parent from taking your child without permission, you can use that custody order to help get your child back home safely.
If you don’t have a custody order in place at the moment, consider taking the time to get a custody order. A lawyer can help you take the right steps to get a custody order for your child. Then, make sure you have that custody order handy in case your child is abducted by the other parent.
Routine Photos and Fingerprints
When your child is abducted, photos and fingerprints are essential parts of getting them back home safely. When The Committee for Missing Children reaches out to law enforcement agencies and organizations that are designed to protect children, we offer this sort of crucial information to help make the search a little easier.
At The Committee for Missing Children, we recommend taking photos of your children every six months or so, that way you always have a relatively current photo of your child to show to law enforcement if they’re missing. You should also have your child fingerprinted to make sure they’re in the police database. If you’re not sure how to go about getting your child fingerprinted, you can visit your local police station and they may be able to help.
Use ID Cards
Even if your children aren’t old enough to have a government-issued ID card, you can still give them an ID card to keep on their person. Consider making up an ID card for each of your children and having those cards laminated. Each ID card should include your child’s name, address, date of birth, and phone number. The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for others to get in touch with you if they find your missing child.
If you’re going to get your child an ID card, make sure you have it laminated and consider getting them a small wallet or some other way to store their ID card.
Prepare an ID Kit
In the event that your child goes missing, it’s important to reach out to law enforcement to make sure they have any information that could help with the investigation. To help with this, you should prepare an ID kit for each of your children. ID kits should include a physical description, height, weight, gender, fingerprints, nicknames, identifying features such as glasses or braces, and more. The more information you can provide about your child when they go missing, the easier it will be for police to track them down and get them home safely.
Talk to Your Kids
At The Committee for Missing Children, we believe education is one of the most important things you can do if you want to protect your children. Take some time to talk to your kids about abduction and what they should do if they’re in a dangerous situation. If there’s a park that you visit regularly, look for safe spots around the park that your children can go to if they feel like they’re in danger. While it won’t prevent abductions entirely, talking to your kids about safety and avoiding abduction is a good way to keep them safe.
Practice Online Safety
In today’s world, kids can get into a lot of trouble by talking to strangers online. If your kids are using the internet, make sure you talk to them about being safe online. Your kids should never give out any sensitive information, such as their address or phone number. If your kids are very young, you might consider blocking or restricting their access to the internet until they’re older. As harmless as it may seem to let your child play online video games, there are predatory people online, so protecting private information is important.
GPS Tracking
Technology can make it a lot easier to find your missing children, and GPS tracking technology is available in many forms. There are actually several bracelets and other devices that you can use to track your child’s current location via GPS. If your child is going to hang out with friends or play at the park, make sure they have a GPS tracker bracelet that you can use to find their location.
As a parent, it’s up to you to do what you can to protect your child. Taking these precautionary steps can greatly reduce the odds of abduction. If you want to learn more about how TheCommittee for Missing Children can help you protect your children, contact us today.
