Preventing child abduction: Tips for kids
- Check with your parents or guardian before you go anywhere or do anything.
- Never go off by yourself, not even to a public bathroom. Always take a friend.
- Don't be tricked by adults who offer you special treats or ask for your help.
- Don't be afraid to say "No" and get away from an uncomfortable situation.
- Don't go near a car with someone in it unless you are with a parent or trusted adult.
- Keep your doors locked at home and don't open them for anyone unless the person is a trusted family friend or relative.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the U.S. Department of Justice
More than 700,000 kids younger than 18 are reported missing each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
But with help from the Gainesville Police Department this week, some area children got a fighting chance against kidnappers.
"The worst thing a child can do is get in the fetal position," said Crime Prevention officer Joe Britte, a public information officer with the Police Department. "I'm not teaching these kids to fight. I'm teaching them to defend themselves."
The nine children at Gainesville First United Methodist's Fit Fun Camp learned about self-defense and other safety topics this week as part of the Police Department's radKIDS — Resist Aggression Defensively — program.
They had an activity book with homework assignments each night and the program culminated with the students demonstrating their techniques by fighting off a potential attacker, played by Britte dressed in a heavy, padded suit.
"If you ever have that happen to you, you know what to do," said Madison Sartain, 10, a rising fifth-grader at Mount Vernon Elementary School.
Sartain and Buddy Powell, 11, a rising sixth-grader at North Hall Middle School, both said the hammer fist was the most useful defensive move they learned.
"You can go at their head, their nose and under their chin," Powell said. "We learned about elbows, knees, kicking and punching."
Britte said he tried to teach kids to hit at points that would hurt an attacker, such as the eyes, groin and face.
"Those are the things that will stun an individual and give you time to escape, to get away and find help," he said.
Vicky Bailey, the church's recreation director, invited the officers to host the radKIDS program at the camp. She participated in a similar women's self-defense course several years ago and wanted to give her campers something to empower them.
She said it was amazing to watch how the students came alive at the end of the week, ready to beat up on Britte. The campers, dressed in elbow pads, knee pads and a full-face helmet, gave Britte hammer fists, groin kicks, side kicks and earfuls of screams until finally he could take no more, and they ran to the safety zone.
Carter Webb, 10, a rising sixth-grader at North Hall Middle School, said his parents felt better knowing that he knew how to protect himself.
"If you ever get picked up by a stranger, you could get hurt or even killed," Webb said. "I think it'll really help me if a stranger would ever approach me."