School holidays are a time for children to take a break from their daily routines, and spend quality time with family and friends. There are also opportunities for adolescents to start exploring their independence and freedom. All children can be vulnerable sometimes, and as a parent it is only natural to worry about their safety.

The Internet is a great space and resource for children and teenagers, giving them access to a wealth of information and interaction owing to a vast array of platforms, including social media, email, and text messaging. Unfortunately, with this vast access lies the safety risk of meeting with online predators. Online predators are adults who often, in a sexually motivated way, approach children and teenagers online to exploit their innocence and inexperience. One of the emerging concerns is online trafficking. Just like child online trafficking, child sexual exploitation has risen in recent years due to the rise of technology. Online grooming for sexual purposes means communicating with a child over the Internet with the intention of establishing a relationship to facilitate either online or offline sexual contact. Sexting refers to the process by which someone intentionally shares sexually explicit messages, images, or self-generated sexualised images of themselves for sharing. Sexual extortion, also called "sextortion", is the blackmailing of an adult with the help of (self-generated) images of that person to extort sexual favours, money or other benefits from him/her under the threat of sharing the material e.g. posting images on social media or sending them to family members.

By their pre-teen years, many children are starting to become increasingly independent wanting to do more things without their parents and/or carers around. Talk to your children, highlighting the risks and challenges. Herewith a few tips can help protect your child during the holiday period:

• Tell your child to avoid talking to people they don't know when you're not around;
• Make sure your child understands that they should always tell you if they have been approached by a stranger, and never to keep secrets;
• If your child must use a lift – tell them only to use lifts with friends, and not to feel worried about getting out if they are uncomfortable;
• If your child gets lost, they should ask for help from a police officer, another grown-up with children or someone working at a nearby shop;
• Have your children learn their address and telephone number by heart;
• Try to keep your children within your sight or another adult's whom you trust;
• When out and about visiting places, always arrange a meeting point for you and your child, in case either of you get lost;
• Make sure you all travel together, or have seats close together on a bus or taxi;
• Always accompany your child into public toilets;
• Stick to busy, well-lit roads, and avoid short cuts through alleyways;
• If your child thinks someone is following them, they should cross the road or go to a place with lots of people around, like a bus stop or shop; and
• Encourage your child to speak up if they are being bullied or feel they might be in danger.

Helplines: 

• GBV Command Centre: 0800 428 428
• Childline Toll Free: 116
• SA Resource Line for cases of child trafficking: Human Trafficking Hotline: 0800 222 777
• Films and Publications Board for online violations: 0800 148 148