Trusty the Be Safe! puppet is an integral part of delivering important violence and abuse prevention education to children across Canada and around the world.

Standing 60 cm and made of fleece, the child-friendly puppet and mascot has long been a component of the Canadian Red Cross Respect Education program. Trusty began as part of an initiative by the Child Abuse Research and Education Productions Association (CARE) of BC in the 1980s. In 2000, the rights and material pertaining to this initiative were transferred to the Red Cross to breathe new life into the kit. It was re-released as the c.a.r.e. (Challenge Abuse through Respect Education) kit, and was again re-launched with more updates in 2013 as the Be Safe! kit. This personal safety program for children aged five to nine, with a focus on child sexual abuse prevention, delivers important messages through a combination of storytelling, educational resources and experiential activities.

Trusty is designed to be an empathetic friend that educators can use to help children understand body ownership, how to pick up signs of potentially dangerous situations and teaches kids about safe and unsafe touching.

"Kids love Trusty ... You can tell that the kids really identify with him." - Alison Lynch Richard, Canadian Red Cross

Since 1984, more than 7.5 million children, youth and adults have been educated through Canadian Red Cross Respect Education programs. In Canada, that includes partnerships with schools, police, health workers, government departments, sport and recreation organizations, faith groups, newcomers, and First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities.

The Canadian Red Cross is a recognized global leader in helping create safe environments, free from violence and abuse, especially for children and youth. Canadian Red Cross Respect Education programming is now being adapted in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.