Historical April 1984 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The recent high number of assaults on young girls in St. Louis, one of which was within six blocks of our immediate neighborhood, has prompted many in the neighborhood to evaluate closely the rules for our children.
One result has been the fingerprinting which was performed under the auspices of Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council.
Many parents have also put new emphasis on walking youngsters to and from school, scouts, athletics, even visits to friends’ homes. Walking in groups has been urged on most children and teenagers, and the older children’s watchfulness has been given new importance as we cope with this most recent type of crime epidemic.
This outbreak has also brought to the forefront several preventive measures that professionals have been encouraging for some time.
One of these, personal safety training, designed to assist children in preventing their own assaults, was addressed in a recent professional seminar sponsored by the St. Roch’s Parent-Teacher Organization. Parents throughout Skinker-DeBaliviere were invited by flyer to attend, and over 75 came to the two-hour presentation on March 15. Material for the seminar was developed by Sherryll Kerns Kraizer of Health Education Systems, based in Denver, Colorado.
The seminar was presented by Marilyn Mills, director of the recently opened St. Louis office of that organization. Parents attending expressed very positive thoughts about the presentation.
The parents’ program focused on the value of preventive training. Practical techniques were presented to help parents to guide their children in acting to protect themselves against assault from strangers, as well as persons known to them. Subjects covered in the seminar included: —How to talk to children without creating or increasing fears. —How to teach children to trust their own instincts and act on them, even if saying no involves someone older, someone in a position of authority, or a person well known to them (over 3/4 of all assaults involve someone known to the child). —How to show respect for your child’s instinctive discomfort/distance. —New rules that help children know when obeying is not appropriate. —Reevaluating the ideas of secrets and snitching. Ms. Mills also spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the content of the Personal Safety program as it is presented to young children—without specifics or fear, as much as possible—in a session of fun and “what if… “games, with emphasis on trusting themselves and knowing when not to trust adults. Games include: learning how to keep a safe, adult-arm’slength-distance from strangers, having a “code word” for parents and children to share to take care of situations when a stranger may be needed in emergency situations, and many more. Arrangements for children’s seminars are now being made in this area. Neighborhood residents whose children do not attend St. Roch’s and who are interested in participating may call Anne FitzGibbons at Skinker-DeBaliviere, 862-5122.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1984.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1984_04.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
