With the recent spate of attempted child abductions reported in the news, Aileen Deese thinks now is a good time to remind parents of ways to keep their children safe.

"I think it’s important to talk about it now because Halloween is coming up," said Deese, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii. "Major events like Halloween are when attempted abductions go up. So we want to ensure parents do everything they can for the safety of their kids."

Younger kids, up to intermediate school, should be accompanied by at least one parent while trick-or-treating, Deese recommended. Kids in high school and up, if not accompanied by a parent, should trick-or-treat in groups or with a buddy rather than going solo.

During other times of the year, she emphasized the need for parents to go over a list of 26 safety tips, which the Honolulu nonprofit offers in a flier and on its website, www.preventchildabusehawaii.org.

In today’s household, both parents are typically working, meaning many children are walking home and staying home by themselves, she said. In the hustle and bustle of the weekly routine, families often forget to sit down and talk about safety.

Children, for instance, should know their name, address and phone numbers, understand how and when to call 911, and more important, understand that it’s OK to be rude to a grown-up when they feel unsafe.

"They have to hear it directly from the parents because this contradicts everything we’ve taught them," she said.

Have your children, boy or girl, practice their most annoying scream, said Deese, because they might need to use it someday.

Parents should know how to find or contact their kids at all times, even older kids. It’s a good idea to get a Keiki ID, downloadable for free from the Honolulu Police Department website (http://ag.hawaii.gov/cpja/files/2013/01/Keiki-ID-Trifolds_prt.pdf), and to update it every year. It’s also worth the time to look up sex offenders in your neighborhood, available online.

In late September police investigated reports of three attempts to kidnap elementary school-age students on the Leeward side of Oahu.

In the Sept. 18 incident, a man in the passenger seat of a white van is reported to have asked students at Keoneula Elementary School in Ewa Beach to get in a van. The students ran away. The following morning, a Waipahu Elementary student walking to school reported being approached by a man in a vehicle parked on the side of the road, but ignored him.

Another student reported being approached in a subdivision across from Holomua Elementary School in Ewa Beach.

The Star-Advertiser in early October also reported two additional attempted child kidnapping attempts — one near Kahaluu Elementary School on Oahu and the other in the Pukalani area of Maui.

Police do not know whether the incidents are connected, and no suspects from those occurrences have yet been identified, said HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu.

"If anyone has information, please call us," she said.

Nationally an estimated 800,000 children, or more than 2,000 a day, are reported missing each year, according to Deese. An estimated 1 in 5 girls, and 1 in 10 boys, will be sexually abused before the age of 18. Only 1 in 3 will tell anyone.

Simply teaching children about "stranger danger," however, might not be enough, according to Nancy McBride, national safety director for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in a statement.

The majority of cases have shown most children are not abducted by a stranger, but by someone they know.

Deese underlined the need to establish trust and communication with your children, teaching them the difference between an OK secret and a not-OK secret. Some families use a password system, and only an individual who knows it is OK to go with.

"In general, we are more relaxed in community and culture," she said. "But we still need to keep our guard up."

STAYING SAFE

Here are some tips to keep keiki safe. More safety ideas can be found online at goo.gl/U98jvh.

For Children:

» Know your full name, address and phone number. Learn how and when to call 911.

» If you are scared of someone, RUN to safety. It’s OK to be rude to a grown-up if you feel you are unsafe.

» Don’t let anyone on the phone or at the door know that you are home alone.

» Take the safest route to school. Don’t take shortcuts. Try to walk with a friend or group.

» Don’t play at the park or playground by yourself. Leave when your friends leave.

» If a driver tries to talk to you, move away from the car quickly. If they ask for help or offer you a gift, don’t answer them. Run away and tell an adult.

» Tell an adult about any suspicious person or car. If you can, get the license number and description of the driver.

» If a stranger tries to grab you, yell as loud as you can "STOP IT! LEAVE ME ALONE!" and kick and run away.

For Parents:

» Do not ever leave children unattended in a vehicle. 

» Have a list of emergency contacts. Make sure your child knows who to call if they can’t reach you.

» Practice basic safety skills with your children during outings to the mall or park. 

» Remember that allowing your children to wear clothing or carry items that display their names can bring unwelcome attention.

» Keep your family computer in a central location where it can be easily monitored.

Sources: Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii, Missing Child Center Hawaii, Honolulu Police Department