Attitude is everything.  So is perception.  Your child, as well as yourself, should develop a proactive attitude toward their safety and well being.

A person that is proactive takes conscious steps toward insuring that that don't become a victim.  A person that is reactive first becomes a victim, than sets out to help prevent it from happening again.  This is not the safest way for a child to go through life.

Being proactive means taking the time to be aware of what one is aware of.  It is not enough to just tell someone to be more aware.  Conscious effort must be made to constantly evaluate your child's safety, their environment and the situation s that they come into in their daily life routines.

A proactive parent will know the routes their child takes walking to and from school and ensure that the child doesn't deviate from that route or routine.  A proactive parent will take the time to know their child's friends, playmates, school mates and the parents of these individuals.   A proactive parent will take an active role in their child's life.

It is a fact that a kidnapper will choose the easiest victim they can find.  That means that if your child is perceived as being an easy victim, they are more apt to be chosen than another child that is not.  Teach your child to be assertive.  Teach them to walk assertively with their head held up and their arms swinging naturally when they walk.  Your child should look as though they know where they are going.

A child should always be taught to respect an adult, however, we all know that there are some adults that are not the kind of people we want hanging around our kids.  A child must be taught to respect their own bodies and that no one, not even an adult, has the right to touch them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.   A proactive parent will take the time and sit down with their child and explain this to them in a fashion that they can understand.   The child must be told to immediately get away from a person that makes them feel uncomfortable in this way and seek a person in authority for help.