A four year old little girl was the victim of a horrendous prank. She was trying to be a big girl, and go to the washroom by herself. However the girls who were in there before her maliciously put superglue on the toilet seat, causing the child to hurt, and tare her skin.
As someone who has worked in the Social Work field, I have seen way too many things to ever allow a child in a public restroom alone. This case is also a reminder of a past case when drain cleaning chemicals had been splashed on a toilet that ended up severely burning a woman years ago. The chemical burn was like acid, and she suffered for years after. It’s NOT about the child’s maturity, it’s about who, or what could be in there! All kinds of things go on in public restrooms from prostitution, to assaults, robberies, kidnapping, even murder.
Here are 8 tips to help keep people a little safer in public washrooms.
1. Try to avoid the situation if possible by going to the washroom, or changing diapers just before leaving home.
2. Go to the washroom as a group BEFORE ordering your food at a restaurant.
3. Never let small kids go in without an adult, and always look at and paper the seat.
4. Use family washrooms whenever available.
5. Look around and be vigilant when entering, if someone makes you uneasy leave immediately!
6. Have your partner wait right outside the door in hearing distance, talk to them through the door so a predator knows you’re not alone.
7. When travelling try to use washrooms in a building that has people around, avoid secluded rest stops all together.
8. Never put your purse on the floor of the stall where it can be grabbed from outside it.
It’s important not to live in fear, and we all need to use public restrooms at one time or another. We also have to realize there are bad people in this world, and they use washrooms too! Prevention can be simple and is key!
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