Strategies for Empowering Children to Combat Maltreatment
In an effort to ensure the safety and well-being of children, authorities and child protection organisations are advocating for a new approach to teaching children about potential dangerous situations.
Hans Matheis, head of the White Ring Karlsruhe branch office, emphasizes the importance of this change. "We need to move beyond the 'stranger danger' approach and focus on teaching children how to identify unsafe situations or 'tricky people,' rather than just strangers," he says.
Julia Wahnschaffe, managing director of the Children's Protection Association Baden-Württemberg, agrees. She advises parents to clearly communicate to their children that they don't have to interact with strangers and shouldn't go with them, regardless of their demeanor or reasons.
To prepare children to handle potentially dangerous situations without causing fear, the focus is on teaching them situational awareness, trusting their instincts, and how to seek help calmly. Wahnschaffe advises parents to practice with their children saying "No, I don't want to!" and to accept it themselves.
Key points for parents include building trust in instincts, empowering children with simple scripts, practicing scenarios early, and teaching awareness and safety skills overall. For example, use calm, clear instructions like “If something doesn’t feel right, you don’t need to explain — just move away and come find me” to reduce fear but increase confidence.
Children should also be taught to draw attention to themselves in any way possible if they find themselves in an emergency, and to have their parents' or another trusted person's phone number memorized or written down. It is also important for children to know important emergency numbers like 110 or 112, and who they can turn to in an emergency, such as store staff, teachers, or the police.
In addition, children should be informed about sexual violence in an age-appropriate manner, and should understand that promises of sweets or cute animals to go with a stranger are lies. Seeking help is considered brave, not telling tales or betraying, according to the initiative "I'll tell" against sexual harassment in swimming pools.
Unfortunately, a recent incident at Europa-Park-Bad Rulantica involved a young girl who was allegedly abused by a man. This underscores the importance of these safety measures and the need for continued education and awareness.
The Police Crime Prevention website advises that children should internalize these lessons, and the initiative "Missing Children" encourages parents to regularly discuss potential dangerous situations with their children without causing fear.
By taking a proactive and supportive approach, we can help children navigate social environments confidently and without excessive fear, while still ensuring their safety.
