USATODAY.com - Kids run, shout, fight and foil abductions

When I mention that my whole family is taking Tae Kwon Do, they look at me and ask why I would have a my 2 daughters ages 4 and 7 in such a program. All I have to do is give them this article now.... USATODAY.com - Kids run, shout, fight and foil abductions It explains with perfect clarity why I want my girls in this program. It teaches them how to react, defend themselves and above all avoid the situation that this young lady faced. However if they ever were faced with it I am confident that they would be able to handle things and escape.

Just a bit from the article but it speaks volumes.

Stephanie Quackenbush recalls walking to school on a sunny morning in Albany, N.Y., last year when, a block from school, a man grabbed her from behind.

He put a towel over her face. She screamed for help. "Shut up! Shut up!" he ordered. "I have a knife. I'll stab you." "He was trying to force me to walk with him, but I kept fighting him," says Stephanie, then 14. Two men working nearby heard her yell and ran to help.

The attacker dropped the towel and ran off. DNA on the towel linked Darius Ashley to her assault and to the abduction and rape of two other young women. He's now serving a 25-year prison sentence.

Stephanie's case fits the pattern of most attempted abductions, according to a study released today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The typical victim is a teenage girl on her way to or from school.

The study, released as a new school year gets underway, examined 403 attempted kidnappings by strangers or slight acquaintances that were reported by police or news media in 45 states from February 2005 to July 2006. It was conducted to learn how such attempts are foiled. The study did not look at successful abductions.

Six in 10 victims fought back and escaped, according to the ongoing study's initial findings. Three in 10 ran away before any physical contact, and about 10% were saved when an adult nearby intervened.

"It is more important than ever for parents to empower their kids," says Ernie Allen, the center's president. He says he doesn't want to scare children, but they need to learn to recognize danger and, if attacked, draw attention by screaming, kicking and running away.

Good advice, and it is important that everyone teach their children this both male and female, and that is the best empowerment that a parent can provide for their children.

Robert Kemmet, a detective with the Oklahoma City Police Department, has studied 170 local kidnapping attempts and says identifying patterns has led to several arrests.

"We can create an environment that makes it very difficult for a predator to operate," says Kemmet, who orders extra surveillance when he knows of an area where someone has repeatedly approached children.

He cites common lures: "Hey, little girl, do you want a piece of candy?" Or "Can you help me look for my puppy?" Some predators, he says, are "bus trawlers" who drive behind a school bus, watching for a child to get off alone. "That's what the predator is counting on: the lone child," Kemmet says.

Stephanie's mother, Rhonda Quackenbush, says she always taught her seven children to yell or fight back if attacked. Never was it more important than when her family suffered an unimaginable tragedy nine years ago. Her husband and one of her two sons were shot to death at a friend's house. Another daughter, Stacey, then 12, screamed and ran away.

Good news is the young lady both testified in court against the perp, but is now speaking to groups about the importance of knowing how to protect yourself.