You may have heard the news reports: Jaycee Lee Dugard was 11 when she was abducted in California by a registered sex offender. After 18 years of captivity and abuse she was found and reunited with her family on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009.
Jaycee was held as a prisoner in some sheds in her abductor’s back yard. The man also raped her and had two children with her before he was arrested. (For more, click here.)
What can youth workers do to stop the abduction of children and teens? Work with the leadership of your church or organization on these key steps:
• Work with parents to find out how they can become aware of and monitor registered sex offenders who live in their neighborhoods or in areas near their children’s schools, churches and other locations.
• Work with your organization’s leadership to make sure all your employees and all job applicants have been properly screened and interviewed to weed out potential predators in your midst.
• Train families and young people to know the methods sex offenders use to ensnare children and how kids can avoid problems or escape entrapment. (See more on Child Abduction Tips here and here.
With a combination of information and preparation, you can help protect your kids from people who intend to harm them.
