The
abduction and slaying of Jessica Lunsford is a tragic loss for the family, and there is no way to express what the death of a child entails, a whole potention universe has been ended.
What upsets me about this is how much can be done to prevent these kind of occurences. Jessica is dead, but the living can do something to reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Just a year ago,
Carlie Brucia was abducted and killed near a carwash in Sarasota. Now a scant 100 miles away, a similar event takes place.
I'd like to highlight some details of Jessica's case, and show how concerned parents can reduce the likelihood of this happening again. Carlie was not the last, and neither is Jessica.
Some circumstances I'd like to discuss:
- Jessica was at home
- She was taken at night
- She was taken by a past sex offender, and burglar
A parent problem thinks "Gee, what am I to do if my own home is not safe?" Indeed, things like alarm systems can help, but not without a family ready to take action when the alarm goes off. There is no substitute for arming yourself and family with
confidence, and
awareness.
To be blunt, kids these days are docile. They are taught to be nothing but obidient towards adults. As we can see here though, not all adults are good poeple.
Kids are also scared. There is war. There is terrorism. It's pretty overwhelming. What's a kid to do?
There are a number of things. I'll address some here which are specifically related ot this abduction.
Learn to Yell
Jessica was at home. She and her family were asleep. When John Couey broke in, she probably awoke, but she probably did not yell or struggle. Kids are taught not to do that. A good child is a well behaved child, but not in this case.
Have some confidence
Perhaps the abducter told Jessica her parents would be upset if she said anything. Perhaps he threatened her. there are all kinds of what if's, but one thing did happen: she died. Given this, kids should be encouraged by their parents to make a decision. If she was suspicious, she should yell, kick, hurt the guy. If it's a false alarm, everyone can go back to bed. If it turns out it was grampa coming over for a surprise visit, he'll get over a swollen toe. There is no turning back from death.
Be Aware
Kids should learn to identify danger. Crossing a busy street is dangerous. Strangers should be considered such, too. In addition, kids should have a knee jerk reaction to danger. Just as a child is taught to look both ways before crossing the street, a child should contact parents if a stranger approaches. If the stranger tries to prevent this contact, the child should be taught that this just as dangerous as an oncoming car.
Note, I'm not saying the kid needs to be a martial arts expect to fend off ninjas sneaking into her room. This stuff is pretty simple. Make noise. Struggle. Don't trust strangers. Karate is great, but when it comes down to it, the best thing it will give you is a level head.
Some additional notes
Couey was a neighbor. The abductor is usually someone close to or known to the child. Sad, but true. By stranger I don't mean someone who looks different, or someone from out of town. I mean someone acting strange. Kids can identify this, it's pretty obvious, just need to learn to trust that bad feeling.
Couey is a sex offender. You can search the
Florida Department of Law Enforment Website for local predators. Awareness is your best tool.