i remember a lot of freedom as a child but I’m not sure about whether there are more kidnappers but i personally don’t think that there are more paedophiles then there were years ago i do know quite a few people that were sexually abused as kids & it went on into their adult hood but it was’nt talked about back then so i actually think people were more likely to offend in the (old days) because they were not being found out , i think people are more aware these days & maybe thats one reason kids are not let walk to scchool if its a fair distance or allowed at their friends homes if they live a feww streets away it is a real shame because kids are missing out on so much now & a lot of memorys i have as a kid are just irreplaceable, mind you there are some i don’t want to remember either lol

Many more dangers than the ones we faced…ethnic gangs, schoolies who, because they are with mates, will pick on a lone person and yes I do feel there are more paedophiles because access to child pornography is so much easier and much more explicit on the internet, so the temptation is far greater, There are more cars on the roads with stressed drivers fuelled with alcohol or drugs, more teenagers driving higher powered cars….do I need to go on?

This is one of the reasons we moved to the house we are in. We live on 4 acres, on a quiet dead end street, we have a driveway alarm and a big dog. The best part is that I can tell my kids to go outside and play without having to watch their every move.

I remember riding my bike EVERYWHERE as a kid. No cell phones, no nothing.

The most vulnerable members of society often pay the price for freedom, the evidence of which is apparent today. If we thought of our children or even the most vulnerable first, so much of what’s happening in the world today would not exist.

Great Post-

Ann

A Nice Place In The Sun

I have always been of the belief that the media plays a big part of what we believe to be today.

I don’t think that crime has incresed at all, it is just that we hear about more than was possible generations ago.

The world seems much smaller than it really is.

I have only just started giving my childre the freedom to go to the park by themselves, and I will probably be letting them walk to school when hey are old enough to know they way

A friend and I were discussing this yesterday—how in the summer time we would leave the house to go explore the woods behind our home, maybe check in for lunch, if we didn’t take it with us in the morning, and be home for suppertime. Our moms would have no clue what we were doing in all that time (and that’s probably a good thing since some of the things likely would’ve stopped their heart).
Is it media created, or is it that we have lost our community–where neighbors kind of watched the goings on, we were less connected to the outside world, we certainly didn’t have mySpace….

What a shame it is that our children cannot enjoy the same freedoms we did as children.

Luckily we live in a rural area so my son experiences much more freedom than his city living peers.

I have always been an over protective mother..never letting my children walk to school on their own or play out the front of the house…all things I did as a child without a second thought. Makes me wonder what life will be like for my grandchildren when they come along.

We live in a more complicated world than many of us did as kids. As previously noted, the increase of cars on the road, more housing estates, mobile phones, electronic billboards, ethic gangs, etc, etc either create diversions to drivers or increased danger to children walking alone.

However, I do have to point out that in terms of child sexual assault that 85% of it is perpetrated by somebody well known to the child - somebody that has access to our kids on a daily basis, in the child’s home or physical safety networks.

We have become more aware of kidnappings and one off assaults because of the media and internet technology. The child slave trade and selling of kidnapped children has always existed, now we just find out about it. The sexual exploitation of children has long existed - now we just have tourists who can easily access children in developing countries and exploit them without busy people taking too much notice.

Despite whether our kids are at more or less danger, our kids are at still at risk and it is our collective responsibility to create a community that has zero tolerance of child abuse. Commenting on topics such as this one is a way to have a voice and let the rest of the world know that child abuse WILL NOT be tolerated. Congratulations to every one of you that had the gumption to leave a comment. May only good ever happen in your homes.

Megan - a child protection consultant.

I’m with Megan, perhaps it’s a little more complicated but I don’t think it’s more dangerous - we just hear more horror stories now.

I wonder if restricting our children to the backyard (I saw the article too) is having a more damaging effect. My best memories are of going exploring, bike riding and staying out all day.

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This is so great and is my feeling totally.

It is argued that children are in greater risk because of all the peverts. Putting aside for the moment that the vast vast majority of the perverts are family members, should we let those who would harm our children own us and our children in this way?

We do not do a favor to our children by coddling them and trying to protect them from the world. Besides not working, it has negative consequences too numerous to mention in this space.

~Becky