Safety Tips: Preventing Abduction

14 Jul 2009 2 Comments

by Miftahudin in Children's matters Tags: , , ,

They often become targets of Irresponsioble adults

They often become easy targets of irresponsible adults

At one point or another in a child’s life they “go missing”. Most often, they return on their own, safe and unharmed. Even a short disappearance will cause a parent to confront their worst fear. The abduction of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Child abductions are rare, but they do happen.  As parents, we can fight back through preparation and abduction prevention.

Stranger Danger. Most people genuinely care about children, and not all strangers are bad. However, we must educate parents and children to recognize and avoid dangerous child abduction situations. Knowledge, caution, and alertness are our children’s best protection.

The tips below can help you reduce the risk of your child becoming a victim of abduction. Please take the time to read this child protection information and share it with your children.


How parents can protect children from abduction

  • Know where your children are at all times and who they are with.
  • Never leave your child alone in a public place, stroller or car.
  • Always accompany younger children to a public restroom.
  • Teach your children not to accept rides and gifts from strangers.
  • Always accompany your child on door-to-door activities, i.e. Halloween, school fundraising campaigns, etc.
  • Establish a routine for picking your children up from school or other events.
  • Agree on a simple code word for emergency situations. A trusted adult who knows the code word can pick up your child if necessary.
  • Make sure your child knows their full name, address and phone number.
  • Teach your child how to reach you (home, office, mobile)
  • Teach your child how to call the police.
  • Have a plan in case your child gets separated from you in public.
  • Teach your child to stay in groups of friends when going anywhere .
  • Tell your children about child abductions in simple and easy to understand terms. Awareness can help them protect themselves.
  • Avoid clothing and toys with your child’s name on it. A child may not fear someone who knows his/her name.
  • Promote an environment in which your child feels free to talk to you.
  • Let your child know that you will pick them up at any time, any place.
  • Listen closely when your child talks about friends or aquaintances they spend time with in your absence.
  • Check all potential babysitters and older friends of your child.
  • Teach your child to recognize suspicious behavior and collect descriptions.
  • Urge your child to think escape / survival if he or she were ever abducted.
  • Speak to your local law enforcement agency to find out about neighborhood watch.
  • Get to know your neighbors and the children in the area. Make sure your child’s friends know your house is safe and they can seek help from you.
  • Check with your local law enforcement to find out if there are sexual offenders in your area.
  • Use a system such as KidSave to organize your child’s photo and child ID card with pertinent descriptive data.
  • Keep up-to-date medical/dental history and finger print cards.
  • Teach your child that there is always someone to help them, and they have the right to be safe.

How children can protect themselves

  • Always tell your parents where you are going and who you are with.
  • Never answer the door if alone.
  • Do not invite anyone in the house without the permission of a parent or babysitter.
  • NEVER get into anyone’s car without permission.
  • Don’t tell anyone on the phone that your parents are not home. Instead tell them that your parents can’t come to the phone and take a message.
  • Don’t go to restrooms in out-of-the-way places without a trusted adult.
  • Don’t take short cuts. Always use well-traveled streets.
  • Never go to playgrounds or movies alone.
  • Go to the nearest cashier if lost or separated from a parent in a store or mall.
  • Do not take candy or other gifts from strangers without asking a parent first.
  • Never hitch-hike.
  • Stay away from isolated areas or abandoned buildings.
  • If you do not know the driver of a car that slows down or stops near you. Run home, to the police department or to a public place where there are people. Do not run and hide.
  • If an adult approaches to ask for directions, step back, tell them you don’t know and walk away. Adults should ask other adults for directions.
  • If forced toward a building or car, scream “help”, scatter belongings and fight.
  • No one has the right to touch any part of your body that a bathing suit would cover.
  • If someone touches you in a way that feels uncomfortable, tell them in a loud voice that it is your body and they don’t have the right to touch you, even if it is a relative or friend. Tell an adult you can trust and keep telling until someone believes you.
  • If you see someone unusual hanging around a schoolyard or a park, tell your parents.
  • Tell a parent about anyone who exposes themselves to you.
  • Don’t believe any adult who asks you to keep a secret from your parents.

kidSave

Final round of the Presidential Debate

04 Jul 2009 Leave a Comment

by Miftahudin in Politik: bermain POli di kandang iTIK, Uncategorized Tags: , ,

www.miftah17.wordpress.com

Presidential hopeful Jusuf Kalla criticized his rival Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his frequently aired campaign ads calling for a single-round election to save state funds.

The attack took place during the outset of Thursday’s final debate, after candidates were asked to deliver their visions and mission statements.

Kalla said democracy should not be valued in money terms alone because this could neglect the values of democracy.

“I am sorry Pak SBY, your ads claiming that a single-round election would save the state Rp 4 trillion imply that a democracy can be valued in monetary terms,” Kalla said.

“I am afraid if we concur with these ads, there will be no election in 2014, so the state can save itself Rp 25 trillion.”

In response to the criticism, Yu-dhoyono said the advertisements were not his. “Those were not my ads,” he said.

During the break, Yudhoyono offered his hand to Kalla before they hugged each other to the audience’s applause.

During the following section of the televised debate, the other candidate, Megawati Soekarnoputri, agreed with Kalla and Yudhoyono that there would be no compromise in the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) for the welfare of the people.

“However, I see the implementation of gotong-royong *community-based mutual help* continuing to decrease,” Megawati said. “We need to return to our identity to maintain the unity of Indonesia,” she said.

Yudhoyono and Kalla both said the state of Indonesia was a pillar of democracy and regional autonomy. “There are still many problems in implementing democracy,”

Yudhoyono said. “Should we uphold the presidential system, a multi-party system, elections and regional elections?”

Yudhoyono said the 10 years of regional autonomy had also seen overlapping authority between the central government and regional administrations.

“We have annulled 3,000 bylaws of 12,000 that are not in line with national laws,” he said.

Yudhoyono also said he would re-evaluate regional autonomy to make sure it benefitted com-munities. “We will impose a moratorium on the creation of new regions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kalla said he would make elections more efficient by conducting simultaneous regional elections.

Megawati said regional autonomy should be based on the potency of each region rather than the sum of its population.

In most commercial breaks, the candidates talked to their campaign teams although Kalla appeared more relaxed, apparently enjoying the event as he ate snack and chatted to an attendant while other candidates were busy with their sidekicks.

On the issue of democracy, the candidates agreed that pluralism could only strengthen the country.

Kalla, however, was most vocal as the only candidate to mention freedom of the press, and saying discrimination undermined democracy. “Indonesia is based on plurality. The evidence for this is all the pictures of the President and Vice President, which flank our symbol of pluralism, the Garuda,” he said. “The pictures flanking the symbol may change, but the symbol remains the same.”

Kalla’s words may have been a reference to a statement made by one of Yudhoyono’s campaigners, the current government spokesman Andi Malarangeng, who said people from South Sulawesi were not yet fit to lead the country.

“Anyone can be a leader. The view that a certain tribe or race cannot lead is dangerous because it dates back to the dark ages,” said Kalla, the only non-Javanese candidate among the three.

Yudhoyono agreed with Kalla, raising the issue that there were still bylaws discriminating against certain religions in certain regencies, and promising to intervene and change them to accommodate all religions and races.

Surprisingly, Megawati did not take this opportunity to stab at several controversial decisions made during Yudhoyono’s term in office, such as the pornography bill (which her party had tried to block, to no avail) and the decision to stop Ahmadiyah from proselytizing.

Mega simply reiterated her support for pluralism, saying, “On this issue, I agree with JK 100 percent”.

As the debate was about to conclude, moderator Pratikno, the dean of Social and Political Sciences at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, presented the final question: What would candidates do if not elected. “

I will continue to serve and struggle for the Indonesian people,” Megawati said.

Yudhoyono said he would congratulate the winner right away and ask his constituents to support the elected leader.

Kalla meanwhile said candidly he would return to his hometown in Makassar, South Sulawesi. “I will take care of education, mosques and peace for the country.”

ISSUES DISCUSSED IN PREVIOUS DEBATES

Anti Corruption Bill

Megawati: “The bill might not be finished on time, so we better use the previous law and push the House to set a better priority on its bill deliberation.”

Yudhoyono: “I have consulted with the House of Representatives so that the bill could be endorsed before my administration term ends in October. I prefer to speed up the deliberation of the bill with the House, but if the bill can’t be endorsed on schedule, I could issue a government regulation in lieu of law as an action in an emergency situation.”

Kalla: “The bill is important, but we can use the previous law if we can’t endorse the new law. I agree with President Yudhoyono.”

Human Rights

Megawati: “I am also a victim of hum an rights violations, but I never retaliated. It is a good example for the people if they can learn from my case.”

Yudhoyono: “We had the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the past, but it was dissolved based on the Constitutional Court verdict. But human right violation are a nation problem. We can sit together in the People’s Consultative Assembly to resolve this problem because we need a solution.

For example, we can solve our human right-related problems with East Timor with a spirit to uphold peace, reconciliation, and friendship. We did it our way last year. I prefer to choose the Truth and Reconciliation or something similar to that.”

Kalla: “I agree *with SBY* because I am still the current Vice President. Current law can’t be used to try the past, but when it comes to crimes against humanity we could take legal action. I still think it’s better in the future if we can learn from the past and never repeat these mistakes.”

Military Budget

Megawati: “I will order an audit of our military equipment to find out how much of our equipment we can still use. There are many things we need to do so that we are not underestimated any longer.”

Yudhoyono: “Our ideal military budget is Rp 120 trillion or 10 percent of our total budget of Rp 1,200 trillion, but now we just have a budget of Rp 35 trillion. We must prioritize education and other sectors. My plan is to gradually increase the military budget in the next five years should our economy improve. The military can delay buying submarines and fighter jets, but it must continue equipment maintenance and military officers’ education programs.”

Kalla: “I must ensure that the military budget is used effectively. I will revitalize the military equipments. If we can build those equipments at home, we must do it to save money. I will ground military vehicles that could not run properly. I agree that we must raise the military budget, but the military must maintain its equipment efficiently.”

Foreign Debt

Megawati: “We must increase our independence. We must choose between principles of looking for the debts and a no debt policy. We must be confident to stop foreign debts.”

Yudhoyono: “We have to delay some projects that are not too urgent and not to sell state enterprises, also known as privatization. Between 2005 and 2008, our foreign debts have decreased while local debts have increased. We will optimize our income from the gas sector.”

Kalla: “We can make the state budget more efficient. I often criticize government buildings, which are too luxurious, have excessive use of air conditioners and too many employees. We have to empower state enterprises to finance local projects. We can rely on our natural resources to get more income. I have said to do a rehabilitation so that we can increase production. I think the government sets too high an interest rate to borrow money from local sources, that is not good Pak SBY.”

Summarized  from Jakarta Post

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