Family Safety: Child Predators and Their Lures

Child abusers come from all walks of life. For safety’s sake be sure to closely monitor children during play dates and multi-family gatherings, especially those involving multi-aged youth. Always ensure one-on-one time with adults is in observable spaces only. Additionally, proper and pro-active education on lures used by predators is key to preventing child abduction and abuse.

Child molesters and abductors have many methods to lure a child. Some of the most common child lures are:

Affection Lure: The affection lure is the most common and effective lure used by child predators. Most child abuse happens at the hand of someone the child knows and trusts. Child predators exploit that trust to take advantage of tensions in the child or teen’s family, like divorce, substance abuse or neglect. When there is a physically or emotionally absent parent in the picture, it makes the child much more vulnerable.

Pet Lure: Children love animals. Many child predators will ask children to help look for their lost puppy or kitten. Parents must warn their children of this lure and let the kids know there is no lost animal.

Assistance Lure: Using an assistance lure predators will ask children for help with directions or help carrying something. Aggressors will also feign and injury or disability to elicit sympathy. Teach your children that adults should ask adults for help, not children. The best defense against the assistance lure is for kids to pretend they do not hear the person and quickly leave the area, then tell a trusted adult.

Authority Lure: Child predators in a position of authority take advantage of their positions. Make sure your children know it is illegal for adults to touch them in their bathing suit zone.

Bribery Lure: Predators will use gifts, like candy, toys, electronics, drugs, money, to get a child to willingly go with them, or they will use the gifts as a reward to keep the abuse secret or to keep the child tolerating the abuse.

Emergency Lure: Predators will fake a crisis to trick kids and teens into willingly going with them. For example, they will tell the child, “Your father has been hurt and is in the hospital. I’ve been sent to take you to him.”

Hero Lure: Child abusers will exploit a child by making them believe something bad will happen to someone they see as a hero. For example, a parent, a teacher, coach, relative or celebrity. Children may endure repeated abuse to keep a hero out of trouble, or maintain a friendship.

Name Recognition Lure: Marking a child’s clothing, backpacks and other belongings can be dangerous. Criminals can read the nametag and call out the child’s name, creating a false sense of familiarly.

Online and Computer Lure: Online predators lure children through chat rooms, e-mails and social media. Through these avenues, a predator can learn a child’s personal information and arrange a private meeting. Make sure you kids know to never post their personal information online. This includes information such as where they live or go to school.

Threats and Weapons Lure: Predators may use violence and intimidation to force children and teens to cooperate with the abuse, or stay silent about the abuse. They’ll use an “it’s my word against yours” approach.

It is important that you teach your children about each of these lures, not just one or two. Child abusers often use more than one of the lures at a time to get a child to comply with abuse and keep the abuse secret.

Besides educating your youngsters, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has several recommendations. Never send a small child on an errand alone or to walk to school unescorted. Statistically, most abductions take place near the child's home, some as close as 200 feet. Children should also be advised never to approach an occupied car or accept a ride from anyone without a parent present. That includes a driver who asks for directions. Children should be told to retreat from such a request.

It is also the responsibility of adults to take notice of anyone suspicious in their own neighborhoods. Attention should be paid to any strangers who may be lurking around schoolyards or playgrounds. Keep in mind that most offenders have prior contact with the victim. And that contact is usually a visual observation. If you have any doubt that someone is suspicious, call the police and let them decide. They will at least identify that person and determine his legitimacy for being where he is.

*Lures compiled by the Kid-Safe Network (www.kidsafenetwork.com). Additional research provided by childluresprevention.com and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com).