Adults to wary to help little girls?

I feel so blessed and privileged to now live in a country where children do not see every adult as a peadophile- so sad. Teachers here still will hold the kids when upset, even put them on their knee at primary school and caress their hair to pacify them. The huge majority of attacks on children are done by family members and friends, NOT strangers.

I help regularly at the local primary school, and it is so refreshing to see. I even went camping with them, and had 6 girls aged 7 in my tent, whom I'd never met.

Yes I agree with getting another person involved as a witness.
We did a lot of stranger danger talk when I was teaching infants full time and Used to tell them to stand still for a little while or go in a shop and ask someone in a uniform or behind a counter. When I come across little ones lost, i stand still with them and ask another adult to call for assistance. I would never just pass on by.

I would ask for another person to stand with me and then talk to the child/children so then I would have a witness/s

Oh, Jess...

I always speak to lost looking children.
e.g. in a supermarket - "call your mummy now in a big loud voice and she will come"

Most recently in M and S loos in Liverpool there was a queue. A little west indian girl, about 6, was hovering anxiously while a succession of older women dived for cubicles and ignored her. I asked her was she waiting for her mummy. "No I'm with my uncle" she whispered. I pointed out the next empty cubicle, bless her.

I was at my grandsons preschool last year and a little girl came and stood next to me when they were reading the story at the end. I automatically put her on my lap and then worried about it for days afterwards. I suppose what I'd do with a lost child now would be to speak to them but call 999 on my mobile at the same time to cover myself [if I a; had it with me and b; it was charged up ].

Yes I'm sure I would do the same. I couldn't walk away and hope someone eventually intervened. What a sad world.

I would stay and watch, keep an eye for a couple of minutes- then no hesitation in talking to them and doing whatever is required to help.

I'm assuming (hopefully!) that if the child had been dragged away screaming and crying by a person they didn't seem to know, someone would have at least called the Police!

This was talked about on Radio Sussex today. What a sad world we live in at times! If passers-by are worried about accusations if they approach a child, they could stay with the child and dial 101, the police non-emergency number (assuming they have a mobile), just to cover themselves. At least that way the child is not left alone and vulnerable.

I once ran a workshop for young Travellers - the youngest about 5. She went off to the loo and asked me to wipe her bottom. Well - it's a job I have done many a time and oft and I had no problem with it, but I must admit I thought about what the repercussions could be these days.

The Daily Mail covered the channel 5 show with pictures and the little girls looked so lost. I don't think I would have hesitated to ask if they were OK. Can't remember the exact figure but it was something like 600+ ignored them, if I remember correctly.

Quite sad isn't it.

I would speak to the child and hope that others would do the same with my little grandchildren. It's easy enough to draw in one or two other passers-by who could assist and witness attempts to help the child.

You'd think most women would try to help - I can understand why men would think twice. I can't believe that so few people in a crowded shopping area bothered to stop and ask either of those children whether she was lost - there must have been plenty of young mums around!

I wouldn't hesitate either - in fact in M&S last week in Stafford with DD a little toddler was wandering about quite alone, apparently.
I bent down to speak to him when his panic-stricken mother appeared!

I wouldn't hesitate to step forward and speak to a child - and have done so in the past.

As a grandmother I would feel happy to help a child in distress. DH on the other hand said he would be far more wary and would certainly not consider any physical contact - unless the child was bleeding profusely!

Sorry for typo...should read 'Adults too wary'