dad branded a pervert

[Lilly]

I must be an innocent little soul.

If I was in the park with my children I would not object to anyone taking photos. I would assume that they would have children there.

My kids are only 7 and 4 so if they go to the park I go with them.

I don't think about paedophiles but, like I say, I am there so I can make sure mine don't come to any harm.

It might be different if I weren't there but I don't mind photos being taken.

Why would a pervert want to take a photo of a child on a slide?

I'm sure there's much more titillating stuff to be found on the internet.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by jaysay

It appears from what your saying steeljack that things are just the same accross the pond as they are over here, so its not just a British disease. I suppose there is the dogooding brigade in every country, the bleeding heart liberals are not just unique to our country

It's not that bad here yet .... I think it has something to do with the nature of Canada; apart from the large cities Montreal, TO, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver most of our country is still more rural than urban. And the small town values are still around. I have lived in small communities where people don't lock their doors, leave their keys in their cars, and generally get along as neighbours should ... helping one another and watching out for each other. I imagine that our buddy in Culpeper has a different experince from our buddy in California.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Loz

So did i!!
Unless i'm missing something!

Whats that got to do with anything Loz, there's a bloke in the states just had a baby

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Eric

It's not that bad here yet .... I think it has something to do with the nature of Canada; apart from the large cities Montreal, TO, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver most of our country is still more rural than urban. And the small town values are still around. I have lived in small communities where people don't lock their doors, leave their keys in their cars, and generally get along as neighbours should ... helping one another and watching out for each other. I imagine that our buddy in Culpeper has a different experince from our buddy in California.

Good God Eric that sounds just like Ossy 40 years ago, where the hell did it all go wrong

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by jaysay

Good God Eric that sounds just like Ossy 40 years ago, where the hell did it all go wrong

When you put too many rats in a box they will eat each other.

We are overcrowded, and immigration is making it worse.
Haven't you noticed that people are spending more time barricaded in their castles/homes because they don't feel safe beyond their own boundary?

[lancsdave]

As a male single parent you wouldn't beleive the attitudes of some people when you tell them you live on your own with your daughter. I had several occasions where my daughter was fine to go and stop at her friends house overnight but all sorts of reasons were made by other parents if my daughter asked for their kids to stop at our house.

[Loz]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

As a male single parent you wouldn't beleive the attitudes of some people when you tell them you live on your own with your daughter. I had several occasions where my daughter was fine to go and stop at her friends house overnight but all sorts of reasons were made by other parents if my daughter asked for their kids to stop at our house.

God thats terrible.
If your daughter goes to stop at friends regulary then their parents will obviously know she is fine so to stop them coming to your house is nothing short of scandulous.
What are they trying to say about you?

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Loz

God thats terrible.
If your daughter goes to stop at friends regulary then their parents will obviously know she is fine so to stop them coming to your house is nothing short of scandulous.
What are they trying to say about you?

It doesn't happen now because I'm not a single parent anymore. If I was I suspect it would still happen.

[Loz]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

It doesn't happen now because I'm not a single parent anymore. If I was I suspect it would still happen.

I was brought up by my dad from the age of 14 when my mum died and i always had my friends over,never a problem.
It's terrible that society is so cynical of everything nowadays.

[Tin Monkey]

Originally Posted by lancsdave

As a male single parent you wouldn't beleive the attitudes of some people when you tell them you live on your own with your daughter. I had several occasions where my daughter was fine to go and stop at her friends house overnight but all sorts of reasons were made by other parents if my daughter asked for their kids to stop at our house.

It doesn't surprise me at all Dave. A mate of mine, who was in a similar position to you, told me that he was treated like an outcast by mothers when he went to school to pick up his daughter.

Men are the new social disease.

[blazey]

This is a sensitive subject really. When I was on the summer school this past week we weren't allowed to take pictures except on the departments camera, and the children and their parents all had to sign declaration forms to say this was ok. It is VERY important that this is done.

One year, before this process was introduced, the department took a picture of a group of children and it had their names under the picture and where they were from. One girl had a violent father who had an injunction against him. When he saw the picture in the publication he obviously found out where his daughter was staying and tracked her down and she had a very scary experience resulting from that.

Now you may think this is a different scenario, but if you took a picture in rhyddings park for example of your child and happened to get others in the background, and put it on a networking site or a forum for all to see, similar situations may end up happening.

The fact that it may or may not have happened to a woman is an issue, but we can't say it may have been different if it had been or not. Some people are just as wary or women as they are of men when it comes to their children.

I didn't look at it this way until I became a student ambassador and now I take it really seriously. We aren't allowed to hug children or touch them in a way that can be seen as inappropriately, can't tend to them at night when they are sick without getting another ambassador, can't be in any one on one situation with them with nobody else around. It is for EVERYONES protection though, not just the child's, so I find it quite important that it is stuck to even though it may seem unreasonable at times. When I say bye to my groups at the end of their course I high 5 them all, they can't all hug me goodbye and they feel sad about that, but that's just the way it is unfortunately. Either that or we put everyone at risk.

We even had seperate toilets when possible because public toilets are a very high risk place for student ambassadors if you end up being one on one with a student, yet you probably wouldn't even think of that on a normal day, but I know I certainly will in future, just to avoid being accused of anything myself. I guess it almost drives you to the point of paranoia but it's better than being accused of things!

I obviously haven't made this policy, but I think it is one we should all bear in mind when taking photographs or having contact with children. It makes quite a lot of sense anyway in my opinion.

[accyman]

it realy irritates me that parents cant video their kids plays etc

like somone has said before a pervert isnt going to get his jollies from watching a kids nativity play when he can get the sort of pictures hes after from the internet

i have heard a few stories where boots have rang the police for people having pictures of their kids in the bath tub and its pathetic infact boots should have been fined for wasting police time if anything.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by accyman

it realy irritates me that parents cant video their kids plays etc

like somone has said before a pervert isnt going to get his jollies from watching a kids nativity play when he can get the sort of pictures hes after from the internet

i have heard a few stories where boots have rang the police for people having pictures of their kids in the bath tub and its pathetic infact boots should have been fined for wasting police time if anything.

Spot on accyman, My daughter has been to see me today with the grand kids, and she was telling me that she got a photo of the youngest, whos 14 months old, climbing out of the bath, an inocent family picture, but there are those who woud make this out to be something sinister

[blazey]

I actually agree with the no filming of school plays policies now after realising how some young people will be put at risk if people may try to find them to take them away from their homes or harm them. It is solvable simply by teachers getting permission off every childs parent or guardian and only allowing family to go watch the plays. Of course some family members could themselves be dangerous around children, but that issue is one that really can't be solved in my opinion. Some schools still allow photos and films to be taken though. My sister's school allows photos taken on sports day so I assume they still allow photos at school plays too.

[Eric]

A lot can be solved by "street proofing" kids .... the problem of sickos on the street has always been there .... I don't think it is any worse than it was back in the day. I really can't see how there could be an explosion of the perv population. Of course, there are those who will say "you can't be too careful." But I think you can. Parents can create images in a child's impressionable mind, of a world peopled by innumerable male perverts, lurking behind every bush. Does anyone have any knowledge of how this will affect young children ... particularly the boys?