were 7 years old or younger and slightly over half were female. The perpetrators were in most cases (91%) parents and relatives, but “noncaretakers,” foster parents, and facility and child care staff accounted for 7% of the cases.
PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTION
What can children and parents do in this bleak situation? Plenty!!!
The major responsibility for protecting children resides with the parents and the parents alone. It is a sacred responsibility that can never be delegated to local schools, churches, or other organizations.
First, one must face up to one’s own home situation, and recognize and objectively confront and surmount any problems that may exist there. Often, child abuse or evidence of other criminal or deviant behavior is tolerated in the home.
Next, parents must take a serious look at the total environment in which their children exist, assess the threats that exist there, persons, places, groups, and behaviors-begin to systematically warn children of these threats, and give them ways of avoiding them.
Although children can do little to defend themselves physically against older children or adults, when they are made aware of the dangers and the potential consequences of deviant behavior, no matter how “cool” that may seem, they can intelligently avoid the dangerous persons, places, and situations. It is precisely in this critical area of awareness-building that the parent is best equipped to function. This is no one-time, five-minute task, however. It requires constant awareness and attention to local developments, reading crime reports in local newspapers, watching local TV. keeping abreast of neighborhood gossip and activities, and encouraging close frank exchanges of information with your children. It also requires firmness and perseverance on the part of the parent, in order to be convincing to the child.
This book, the product of long and detailed research and experience in self-defense and crime awareness, provides a wealth of detailed information for concerned parents to develop their children’s awareness to the many threats lurking behind often attractive forms. It may seem a shame to remove the innocence of childhood by talking to children about the grim realities of a world that has gone tragically wrong, but make no mistake about it, the kid drug dealer, the pervert, the rapist, the teenage gang member and their like will not hesitate one nanosecond to remove your children’s innocence—FOREVER.
As the old saying goes, forewarned is forearmed, and this excellent work will enable you to adequately arm your children against the threats that they may encounter in the jungles of 20th century America.
• Dr. Robert C. Suggs received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in anthropology from Columbia University, and is an authority on the cultures and prehistory of Polynesia. A fifth degree black belt in Tang Soo Do karate, he is the International Coordinator for the Federation of United Martial Artists (FUMA), and the FUMA columnist for Karate International Magazine. He served in both the USMC and the USN in enlisted areas. He is the author of numerous books and articles on anthropology and Soviet Military affairs, and a professional translator of works on these subjects in several European languages.
Potential Danger in Your Home Environment
HOME SECURITY
Many crimes committed in the home could be avoided with proper precautions. You need to systematically check all potentially vulnerable areas of your home environment on a daily basis.
Most of us would like to think crime won’t happen to us. And, naturally, it is impossible to predict where and when a crime will occur. But there is much you and your family can do to create a safer home environment.
Coming home to find your house or apartment has been robbed is bad enough. Being there when someone is trying to rob it, or interfering, can be much worse.
The following safety tips will help you become more aware of and responsible about home security, and are practices you can teach your children.
LOCKS
It is practically impossible to prevent a criminal from entering your house through an outside door if the criminal has the determination, skills and the time to do so. Remember, a criminal wants to spend the least amount of time and effort in the illegal act as possible. Making it difficult for him to enter is often enough to deter him and send him on his way to an easier target. Sometimes all you need is the proper type of door and window locks.
DOORS
Lock your doors at all times. Each door to your home should have a peephole or wide angle viewer. If you have a small child, place a step stool next to the door. This way your child can also see who is at the door before letting anyone in.
A solid wooden door or a hollow metal door snugly fit in its frame is most effective for safety, especially when secured with dead-bolt locks and double cylinder locks. A deadbolt is superior to most other locks because it cannot be forced open with a knife, spatula, or similar tool. If the dead-bolt is sufficiently long, 1½.! inches or more, the door becomes nearly impossible to pry open. Install a dead-lock on each outside door to supplement whatever locking devices you are presently using.
A double-cylinder lock is especially useful for doors with glass or wooden panels. This lock requires a key from both the outside and inside, thus preventing an intruder from reaching through broken glass or a broken panel to unlock the door from the inside. However, heed a word of caution about double-cylinder locks: In the event of a fire or a similar emergency, double-cylinder locks can delay occupants from exiting the house. Therefore, a key to the inside lock must always be readily at hand, and always within reach of your child.
WINDOWS
All windows of your home should have locks. Key locks work best. Further, you can use break-resistant glass to increase the security of your windows. Examine the windows in your home to determine how effective their locks are. If you find vulnerable windows, you may need special locks to secure your home. Check with a security specialist or with your local police department for helpful suggestions. An effective and simple way to secure your windows is to drill a slanted hole through the bottom window frame, or sash, halfway through the top frame (do not drill completely through the outside frame) and insert a metal pin or nail. This will prevent the window from being opened from the outside.
SLIDING GLASS DOORS
Sliding doors can be pried open easily unless you secure them. A steel rod or length of wood placed in the lower door track will prevent these doors from being opened. Also, a few screws drilled into the upper door track keep the door from being lifted off and out of its tracks by an intruder.
LIGHTING YOUR HOME
Denying a possible intruder the cover of darkness is a principal advantage of home lighting. A criminal is not likely to force his way into your home if his actions are highly visible. Most homes have lights positioned at their entrances. Turn many lights on, especially if your children will be home alone. Create the image of having many people home.
When you go to bed at night, do not turn off all the lights inside
