Parents, protect your children–be wary of their surroundings…
It’s safe—very safe in Singapore. There are hardly any kidnappings. You can leave your handbags on the table while you get food and it will still be there when you return. The only thing is—it is not as safe as you think it is.
A reader from The Online Citizen shared a shocking personal encounter that would make us parents think and look twice before leaving our kids at play.
RELATED: Teach your kid to stay safe in crowded spaces
The incident
On a weekend, the reader observed that while at the IMM open-air playground, loitering around were quite a number of men (of darker complexion) watching the kids play and doing nothing in particular.
A popular spot for the kids is a long yellow spiral shaped slide, not surprisingly. As the reader was searching for her friend’s son—she noticed something amiss.
The reader wrote: “A very tanned man was holding his hand phone in landscape angle, staring intently at the exit of the long slide, smiling to himself every few seconds. I suspected that he was recording something and I waited.
Soon enough a little girl wearing pretty white dress came sliding out, exposing her cute pink underpants. This man‘s smile widens and I’m sure I guessed correctly. I went up to him and asked him what he was taping, he replied in a heavily accented voice that he was just taking pictures and he didn’t know Singapore doesn’t allow people to take photos in public.”
RELATED: Teach your child about stranger danger
How to protect your children from kidnappers
Playing innocent
The reader finally managed to see the video of kids playing on the slide and asked that he delete the video. In retrospect, the reader regrets not taking the man to security guards, although the man was told never to return to the playground again.
Parents be alert/ protect your children
Nowhere is safe—do not take safety for granted, ever. Always pay close attention to the surroundings. It may not be a kidnapping but there may be perverts out there waiting to catch a glimpse of your child’s modesty. Teach your little girls to sit cross-legged, to be careful when wearing a dress, lest they reveal their undies to perverts.
“While most of us look at toddlers coz they are cute, but there are some perverts out there who are looking and smiling not for the same reasons,” shared the reader.
How to protect your children from predators
Pedophiles come in all shapes and sizes
It is important to note that we should not jump on race in this situation; perverts that take an interest in children come in all colours, shapes and sizes. In fact, parents should be careful in every situation regardless of where they are or who is around them. Parents it is your sole responsibility to protect your children–no one else will, if you don’t.
RELATED: Singapore children walking to school–what age is ok?
Gow27 / Shutterstock.com
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