Crime Prevention Tips

• How to recognize a Pedophile?
• Sexual Abuse Warning Signs
• Four main points need to be taught to children
• What are the signs that your Child might be at risk on-Line?
• What should you do if you suspect your Child is communicating with a Sexual Predator on-line?
• How to report if you suspect your Child is communicating with a Sexual Predator on-line?
• What can you do to minimize the chances of an on-line exploiter victimizing your Child?
• Instruct your children.

How to recognize a Pedophile?
Most sex offenders are quite proficient at convincing their spouse, family members, friends, co-workers, and neighbors that he or she is not a pedophile, child molester, or sex offender.
It is very important to understand that if a person has even one or more of these characteristics, they should always be supervised around children; if allowed to have access to them at all.
Never should he/she be trusted to take a young person anywhere alone.
Some of the well-known characteristics of a pedophile - Overly interested in children.

• Intentionally arranges time alone with children.
• Shows an unusual interest in or makes inappropriate comments about the sexual development of children.
• Initiates inappropriate contact with children.
• Volunteers to provide free care or transportation to children.
• Volunteers much of his/her free time to be with children.
• Gives expensive and often inappropriate gifts to children.
• Offers to take the child camping or other places alone.
• Talks to children on the Internet, on the phone, or sends postal mail.
• Very few pedophiles or child molesters are able to resist their powerful urges to initiate sexual contact with children. As a result, they accept employment where children are easily approached, have hobbies giving them easy access to children or they actively pursue children by befriending a child's parents.
• Many times they can be found attending events for children, coaching children's sports teams, chaperoning camping trips, frequenting video arcades, or offering free baby-sitting services to friends, family, and neighbors with children.
• His or her whole life is centered on children. Often a child molester carefully seduces his/her victims and can go undetected for thirty years or longer.

Sexual abuse warning signs
One or more of the following behaviors may indicate that a child has been the victim of sexual abuse and may still be experiencing abuse. If you are a parent and suspect that your child is being abused, you need to contact appropriate authorities in your area as soon as possible.

• Persistent sexual play with other children, themselves, toys or pets.
• Unexplained pain, swelling, bleeding or irritation of the mouth, genital or anal area; urinary infections; sexually transmitted diseases.
• Displaying sexual knowledge, through language or behavior, that is beyond what is normal for their age.
• Fear or dislike of certain people or places.
• Sexual activity or pregnancy at an early age.
• Drug or alcohol problems.

Four main points need to be taught to children
If you are a child or teen that is being abused, you need to tell a trusted adult as soon as possible. This may include a parent, a family member, a teacher, school counselor or a police officer. If you tell someone and that person does not listen or does not believe you, tell someone else. Keep telling until someone does help you. Remember, it is never your fault.
•  Trust your feelings. Say No!
•  Get away!
•  Tell and keep telling until someone listens and believes you.
•  It is never your fault

What are the signs that your Child might be at risk on-Line?
Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.
Most children that fall victim to computer-sex offenders spend large amounts of time on-line, particularly in chat rooms. While much of the knowledge and experience gained may be valuable, parents should consider monitoring the amount of time spent on-line.
Children on-line are at the greatest risk during the evening hours. While offenders are on-line around the clock, most work during the day and spend their evenings on-line trying to locate and lure children or seeking pornography.

What should you do if you suspect your Child is communicating with a Sexual Predator on-line?
Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer-sex offenders.
Review what is on your child's computer. If you don't know how, ask a friend, coworker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.
Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child.
Devices can be purchased that show telephone numbers that have been dialed from your home phone. Additionally, the last number called from your home phone can be retrieved provided that the telephone is equipped with a redial feature.
Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications (i.e., chat rooms, instant messages, Internet Relay Chat, etc.), and monitor your child's e-mail. Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. After meeting a child on-line, they will continue to communicate electronically often via e-mail.

How to report if you suspect your Child is communicating with a Sexual Predator on-line? Should any of the following situations arise in your household, via the Internet or on-line service, you should immediately contact your local police or for emergency complaints contact the Control Room 100 / SMS 98407 00100.

• Your child or anyone in the household has received child pornography.
• Someone who knows that your child is under 18 years of age has sexually solicited your child.
• Your child has received sexually explicit images from someone that knows your child is under the age of 18.
• If one of these scenarios occurs, keep the computer turned off in order to preserve any evidence for future law enforcement use.
• Unless directed to do so by the law enforcement agency, you should not attempt to copy any of the images and/or text found on the computer.

What can you do to minimize the chances of an on-line exploiter victimizing your Child?Communicate, and talk to your child about sexual victimization and potential on-line danger.

• Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favorite on-line destinations.
• Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
• Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software. While electronic chat can be a great place for children to make new friends and discuss various topics of interest, computer-sex offenders also prowl it. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily             monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should             not totally rely on them.
• Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and randomly check his/her e-mail. Be aware that your child could be contacted through post or courier also. Be up front with your child about your access and reasons why.
• Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line. There is much more to the on-line experience than chat rooms.
• Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child's school, the public library, browsing centres and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places, outside your normal supervision, where your child could encounter an on-line predator.
• Understand, that even if your child was a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, he/she is not at fault and is the victim. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions.

Instruct your children

• To never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on- line;
• To never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on-line service to people they do not personally know;
• To never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number;
• To never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;
• To never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;
• That whatever they are told on-line may or may not be true.