Children’s Authority: Watch your children this Xmas

The Children’s Authority is once again urging parents to keep a watchful eye over their children, this time over the Christmas season.

In a release yesterday, the authority said, while the Christmas holidays were a time of merriment for many, it was important that parents and guardians not let their guard down in keeping children safe from abuse.

The authority said it continued to record a spike in reports of abuse following the closure of schools for holidays like Christmas, Easter and the July-August vacations.

While the authority encouraged parents and guardians to ensure their children were left in the care of a responsible and trusted adult, it noted that perpetrators of abuse were usually known to children.

The release advised that teenagers should not be left to wander alone through malls and shopping areas as they could be easily targeted, and encouraged parents to enforce reasonable curfew for teenagers to prevent night-time danger, and also to be aware of their online activitie. The authority said children should not be served alcoholic beverages, and parents should pay attention to physical changes, such as marks, redness about the body, discharge when bathing and changing young children, and pain and discomfort in any body part, especially the genitals.

The authority said parents or guardians with any concerns should report them to police at 999, or contact the authority’s hotlines at 996-or 800-2014.