 | |
| Responsible parenting: Hold on to your children to keep them safe. |
by Roger Tan
It is incomprehensible why some parents and guardians continue to
fail or refuse to appreciate the severity of their actions by causing
children to eventually become victims of neglect.
LIKE many
Malaysians, I was heartbroken to learn that the decomposed body found
near the Kampung Sungai Sireh jetty in Port Klang on Jan 24 was that of
the missing six-year-old William Yau Zhen Zhong.
William will now
join the list of highly publicised cases of missing children who were
either found dead subsequently or are still missing such as Ang May Hong
(1987), Chai Sieu Chi (1995), Tin Song Sheng (1996), Nushuhada Burak
(2000), S. Maniarasi (2001), Nurul Huda Abdul Ghani (2004), Haserawati
Saridi (2004), Nurin Jazlin Jazimin (2007), Sharlinie Mohd Nasha (2008),
Mohd Asmawi Jalaludin (2008), Harirawati Saridi (2009), Nisha
Chandramohan (2010), Nurul Nadirah Abdullah (2012) and Satishkumar
Tamilvanan (2012).
Personally, I can commiserate with William’s
parents over their loss. In my case, my beloved father Tan Sue Yong, who
disappeared in 2000, is still missing. The sorrow, grief and agony
experienced by those who are left behind are simply indescribable.
It
is sad really that despite our nation’s conscience being shaken each
time a high profile case like William’s is highlighted, we continue to
have reports of missing children.
According to the official portal of the Royal Malaysia Police (www.rmp.gov.my),
4,804 persons were reported missing between January and October last
year. Of these, 2,332 have been found, but 2,472 persons are still
missing. Of the 2,472 missing persons, 1,177 of them are children, that
is, those aged below 18, and 896 of them are girls. This statistic is
indeed alarming as it means an average of 16 people are reported missing
daily nationwide!
Hence, if we, as a society, are to be judged
by how we protect our children who form the most vulnerable component of
it, then we may have failed miserably. This begs the question whether
the majority of these cases could have been avoided if the person having
care of the child had exercised due supervision and diligence.
