"Kids are safer in Israel." Why?

BinahYeteirah

Fri, Apr 30 2010, 8:03 am

amother wrote:

Don't molestations usually happen by close family members? Aren't there molestations in the US? Are there more molestations in Israel by strangers than there are in the US because people have a more trusting attitude.

That's a good question. Of course, there are molestations in the US. It's everywhere, unfortunately. My concern would be if a child was able to go to friends' homes alone, that it might create more unsupervised moments when a child could be easily groomed for molestation or molested by an acquaintance or a family member of a friend. It is similar to what amother wrote about what happened to her son in shul. Probably most molestation happens in the home or in other places where people usually feel secure (shul, friend's homes, school, etc.). I am probably more wary of dropping my kids off at a friend's house where there might be older brothers or a father home than I would be of letting my oldest, who is seven, play in the front yard alone (I don't do this, btw).

amother

Fri, Apr 30 2010, 8:48 am

Tamiri wrote:

I am sorry for your pain and your son's being molested. But he was molested in SHUL, as you wrote, not when he was running around. That's a contained area!

Not the amother with the son but does anyone get molested in a public area Idea

Merrymom

Fri, Apr 30 2010, 8:52 am

amother wrote:

This may sound racist, hence, amother.

Having grown up in America and visiting often, I would never let my children go to the park or grocery alone. Perhaps I just grew up in an unsavory neighborhood but a 2 block walk meant encountering several different races and nationalities (I'll leave it at that) learning a whole new vocabulary, and really having to watch your back and hide your purse.

My children have been to the park and makolet for years and have never learned a single new word, never been asked for all their money, and never came home asking why there was a man with this tongue down that nice lady's throat.

I worry about Arabs here. But that's it. And chances are, in the 2 blocks to the makolet, my children aren't seeing any. Try a 2 block walk in America.

What part of Harlem did you live in? I can send my kids 10 blocks here and they'd never see any of that and we live in NY, yes Monsey, NY but that's certainly not Israel.