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c economist suntribune saturday aug 17 2002 3 deaths instill caution in parents tragedies remind parents of importance of streetproofing by lisa queen staff writer with thoughts of several young sters abducted and murdered in the united states this summer never far way thornhill grandmother barbara donohue keeps her three small grandchildren within arms reach as she leads them across a shopping centre parking lot my family is much more cau tious this summer said ms donohue putting a protective arm around kayla 6 eryn 7 and three- yearold austin we wont let them go two feet away from us in malls or anywhere it really makes you nervous she recalls being careful when her own children were little but stressed anxiety has reached new levels for parents grandparents and caregivers i dont know if it is society chang ing or people coming in from other countries or the bad economy or it could be drugs i dont know i wish i knew police called three times during the last school year ms donohue said york regional police were called to her grandchildrens school three times following com plaints of a man exposing himself to children all of this makes you anxious i dont know if we didnt have this type of thing years ago or if we had less of it or perhaps we just didnt hear about it she said but things just dont seem as safe for kids any more south of the border terrifying child abductions seem to be a week ly occurrence this summer one of the most gruesome cases involved last months kidnapping and murder of fiveyearold samantha runnion taken from in front of her california home as she played with a friend her nude body was discovered the following day on the side of a mountain highway she had been sexually assaulted and suffocated a 27yearold man has pleaded not guilty to rape and murder charges fortunately not all the cases have ended in tragedy a monthold baby taken from her familys minivan by a woman in a walmart parking lot in texas was found safe 200 kilometres away last week as the infant was reunited with her parents a former prison guard staff photomike barrett auroras sue hallworth makes sure her son jonathan koulouras 2 is parents to streetproof their children from a very young age noting kids not from her reach during a visit to a local park she says its essential for can disappear from view in seconds has been charged with her abduc tion while the hearts of ontario child welfare experts go out to the families of children kidnapped and killed this summer they also say it pro vides an opportunity to remind par ents about the importance of street- proofing their youngsters its a horrible way to bring it back to parents attention its a horrible way to bring it back to parents attention said lori chapman case manager for child find ontarios head office in oakville the organization is in the process of trying to revive its york region chapter were all guilty of forgetting streetproofing measures until something tragic like this happens its a reality check for us all while anxious ontario parents arent inundating child find with concerns in the wake of the abduc tions in the united states ms chapman suspects most are wor ried about their childrens safety at the moment every time we get this sort of tragedy in the media parents safety issues and concerns are height ened ms chapman urged parents to talk to their children about their concerns without alarming them she said caregivers must make children aware adults never need a youngsters help finding a lost ani mal or giving them directions coming up with a family pass word to ensure kids dont go with an abductor is also an important tip allowing the child to suggest the password means there is greater chance he or she will remember it york regional police sgt wendy heaver with the community servic es unit agrees the tragedies in the us provide a timely reminder to parents to remain evervigilant about their childrens safety tailor messages she suggested families tailor their messages to their own young sters such as ensuring parents and children are on the same page when it comes to naming body parts parents need to know where their children are at all times and to be aware where their kids and teens go when they are upset parents need to streetproof their kids parents need to be vigilant with their kids sgt heaver said make kids aware of ploys a per son who would lead a child down the garden path is somebody we should be leery of keeping kids safe york region parents are urged to use streetproofing tips to keep their chil dren safe including know where your child is at all times and who his friends are make sure childrens names are not visible on their clothing youngsters are less likely to fear adults who know their names keep current photos of your children mak ing sure to take a new snapshot every time they experience a facial change like losing a tooth a new haircut or acquiring a scar never leave a baby or toddler unattend ed even for a moment while you run into a store or gas station booth keep home computers in a central loca tion in your home and monitor use by chil dren constantly always accompany young children to pub lic washrooms teach your youngsters their full telephone numbers and addresses 4 heritage road markham ont l3p 1m4 fkull 3il mmmlimmm for gm ford chrysler toyota honda mazda nissan kia suzuki hyundai isuzu 4 mrttbbdd accredited 90547251 00 test repair chech us out at wwwmarkhamautocom