SACRAMENTO – As part of the commemoration of Operation Boo’s 25th year anniverary, the California Department of Corrections’ (CDCR) Division of Adult Parole Operations (DAPO) has updated its free, online and downloadable parent empowerment guide titled “Boo Tips”.
Beginning today, members of the media across California are invited to help spread the word about how parents and guardians can teach children how to spot and avoid potential sexual molestation of children by using “Boo Tips”, a parent empowerment brochure. This helpful information is available at TinyURL.com/BooTips. “Boo Tips” has links to several website locations with age-appropriate suggestions on how to talk to children about dangerous behaviors by any person, not just strangers.
While teaching kids about “stranger danger” is still important, statistics show that only about 10% of child sex abuse cases involve strangers. According to the latest U.S. Department of Justice numbers, most sex-abuse cases against children are committed by people they know and trust:
- 30% of all child molesters are members of their own family;
- 60% are family friends, babysitters, child care providers, or neighbors;
- 23% of reported cases are committed by people younger than 18 years of age.
The information included in “Boo Tips” was compiled by various government agencies, advocacy groups and their experts.
The links help parents:
- talk to their children, from toddlers to teens, in an age-appropriate way about setting personal bounderies;
- emphasize that certain parts of their bodies are private;
- stress to children that they should feel comfortable telling their parents or someone they trust anything, especially if it involves another adult;
- listen for warning signs from their children;
- how to look for signs that someone is paying an unusual amount of attention to a child;
- and the traditional Megan’s Law map of known sex-offenders’ residences so that families can map out their trick or treat path.
In addition, on Halloween night, parole agents and their local law enforcement partners will once again keep a watchful eye on registered sex offenders who are actively on parole during the annual Halloween children’s safety project, “Operation Boo”. State-supervised child molesters are ordered to abide by special conditions of parole on that night. Those conditions include:
- a 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew during which parolees must remain indoors;
- a ban on exterior lights switched on at their homes (to discourage children from approaching);
- a ban on offering Halloween candy or posting Halloween decorations;
- sex-offender parolees may not open the door except to respond to law enforcement, such as parole agents checking compliance.
In many cases, spot compliance checks are conducted at sex offender parolees’ homes. Only about 12% of all known sex offenders in California are active parolees under the supervision of DAPO. That’s why family communication is key to keeping children safe – not just on Halloween, but throughout the year.
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