At Home
• Verify the identity of callers to your home, be sure to check identification; if in doubt confirm your visitors identity by calling the company or agency that sent them.
• Never respond to obscene phone calls, hang up immediately and have your phone company trace the call: then inform the Police.
• Never admit to a stranger that you are home alone or leave messages on the answering machine’s outgoing message that you are not in, simply say that you are unable to come to the phone.
• When leaving home for extended periods of time, let your community Police Officer know and leave your contacts with a trusted neighbor
• Keep a warning device in the house at all times, a twelve ounce horn is perfect.
• Start or join a neighborhood watch chapter
• If you live on your own, list only your last name and initials in the telephone directory
• Leave no tell tale signs that you are not in, like notes pinned to the door.
• Make it a habit to keep doors and windows locked either in the closed position or open position (no more than 5 inches).

Arriving Home
• Keep keys at hand and get into your home as quickly as possible.
• Call the police from your cell phone or a neighbors home if you see a stranger lurking outside of your home as you arrive.
• If confronted by an intruder inside your home, stand aside and leave him/her the option to escape, should the intruder leave call the police immediately.

Walking/Shoppings
• Refrain from counting money in open areas. Try to carry small amounts of cash and use credit cards and cheques.
• Always know what items are contained in your purse, i.e. amounts of money, identification, etc.
• When withdrawing money from ATM machines, take out small amounts, be wary of persons standing close by and avoid transactions when alone or in the evening.
• Never leave your handbag unattended.
• Don’t wear expensive jewelry when shopping.
• Walk with a companion and if you must walk alone, be aware of your surroundings. Travel well lit streets and highly trafficked routes.
• Mace, pepper spray and personal attack alarms should be considered when walking alone.
• Should someone follow you, make it obvious that you know what he/she is doing and walk toward groups of people, cross the road. Don’t be embarrassed to make a lot of noise to deter the person.

At Work
• Keep your handbags and valuables locked away in a safe place.
• Never leave bank or checkbooks, keys or other items of value un-protected.

Socializing
• Do not accept drinks from strangers and always keep your drink in sight.
• Remember to drink in moderation and keep a trusted friend nearby.
• Never accept a ride from a stranger and always make sure you have enough cash to take a taxi.

Assault
If an assault is attempted, keep in mind that there are no hard fast rules of what to do. However, these tips should assist you, try one or all of them

• Make plenty of noise to deter the attack.
• Fight back physically if you have to, use sharp objects like keys, umbrella or comb. Fight any way you can, bite or scratching your attacker if necessary.
• If you are dragged, fall to the ground and roll.
• Do not allow yourself to be taken to another location.
• Use everyday items in your purse to ward off an attack, like perfumes, hairsprays or mouth sprays.

In instances of sexual assault inform the Police immediately; when you don’t report sexual assault, you leave the perpertrator free to attack another victim. To counter the emotional damages seek professional counseling. Below are agency’s dedicated to helping victims of sexual assault:

Protecting Your Child – What you should know
• Children are usually molested by people they know. A family friend or relative and sex offenders can be either male or female.
• While most sexual assaults are not physically violent, emotional damage can be severe.
• Children should be taught that their body parts are private and that no one with the exception of a doctor or nurse (when appropriate) should touch them.
• When someone attempts to touch their private parts, instruct your child to: Run toward adult and make lots of noise, tell a trusted adult immediately if they or another child is approached suspiciously
• Some children feel guilty or ashamed about incidents of abuse and may lie when they are questioned.
• Signs of sexual abuse are: loss of appetite, irritability, restless sleeping patterns (nightmares, fear of going to bed or sleeping alone, waking up at night), appears withdrawn, engages in fantasy play or baby-like behavior, seeks constant re-assurance or clings to parents, unwillingness to be with certain people or go to specific places, develops new fears, changes behaviors toward friends (re-enacting sexual experiences).
• Adolescents who are sexually abused may show signs by stealing, becoming rebellious, skipping school or becoming sexually promiscuous.

Department of Social Services
The Department of Social Services is a government agency within the Ministry of Housing whose mission is to provide timely, effective and compassionate social service to the people of The Bahamas. The dept. provides structured programmes for those experiencing problems through 11 divisions: child welfare, senior citizens, community support, Family Island, disability affairs unit, family services, school welfare services, health social services, dept. of rehabilitative/welfare services.

The main office is located on Thompson Blvd in the Boulevard Building with three outreach centres throughout New Providence VBM Building, Horseshoe Dr. and NIB buildings on Fox Hill Road and Wulff Road.

The Social Services department is also assisted in various areas by non-profit non-governmental organizations.

The Children’s Code
Never go with or accept gifts from a stranger
Always ask your parents’ permission before leaving the area
Never accept rides from strangers or attempt hitching
Always tell your parents’ where you are going and whom you will be with
Never allow a stranger into the home
Always travel in pairs or groups during outings (trick or treating etc.)
Never take short cuts through track roads, bushes and other isolated areas
Always make sure you are home before dark
Never play in isolated places like abandoned buildings
Always use common sense
Never keep secrets from your parents, especially if someone asks you to

In Case of An Attack
• Give your child undivided attention
• Re-affirm that they did nothing wrong and that what happened was not their fault
• Apologize and reassure that you will protect them in future
• Assist your child in expressing their feelings
• Give your child advice on how to avoid another attack
• Contact the nearest police station and advise of what occurred
• Resist bathing your child until the police have collected evidence needed to convict the perpetrator
• If medical attention is required, take your child directly to the hospital
• Respond to questions asked by your child honestly
• Do not go into detail with your other children about what has happened. Simply say that there was a problem but now it is resolved
• Give siblings advice on how to avoid being molested
• Tell your child to inform either yourself or another trusted adult should the offender try to touch him/her again
• Discuss your own feelings
• Should you feel ill-equipped to assist your child, seek professional counseling