 | |
| 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.
It
follows oft-reported stories of thieves driving off cars with children
inside are not funny at all. In most cases, the engines were left
running with the children in the cars.
As if one never learns, in
yet another incident which happened just about a week ago in Bukit
Kuang, Kemaman, a couple left their three-year-old son sleeping in their
car with the engine running at a petrol station while they used the
emergency toilet. Fortunately, due to quick police action, the boy was
found and the suspect nabbed. (“Car thief drives off with sleeping kid”,
The Star, Jan 24, 2013)
As ACP Manoharan rightly advised
parents, “Even if you have to leave your car for a minute, bring your
child with you and secure the car. Anything can happen within a minute.”
How
true indeed as it can make a real difference between life and death if a
defenceless child is allowed to be out of sight even for just one
minute. Sadly, despite the many reports of similar horror stories, our
children still go missing because obdurate parents continue with their
foolhardy and irresponsible habits and actions.
It is mortifying
to learn that even though we have good laws such as the Child Act 2001
(Act 611) and Anti-Trafficking In Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants
Act 2007 (Act 670) to protect our children, many a time it is we
adults, the children’s protectors, who let them down by paying scant
regard to their welfare.
We also have cases of parents leaving
their children home alone, exposing them to mishaps as in the case of
10-year-old Kuhesri Nadarajah who allegedly hanged herself when left at
home alone in 2010 in George Town.
It is also unbecoming of some
parents who take their children aged below 15 to public assemblies,
thereby exposing them to any untoward incident and in contravention of
the Peaceful Assembly Act, 2012.
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.
This reminds me of an incident which took
place a few years ago in Sungai Wang Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur, when
I found a little boy crying and looking for his mother. He had
obviously been separated from his mother. I immediately took him to the
information counter and paged for the boy’s mother over the public
address system. But it took almost half an hour for the mother to turn
up and claim her lost child.
What is worse is that the mother
appeared neither panicky nor appreciative of the fact that someone had
found her missing child. This led me to giving her a piece of my mind on
the importance of always keeping her child by her side and within her
sight, especially when in a public place.
It is parents and
guardians like these who ought to be prosecuted under section 33 of Act
611 for leaving a child without reasonable supervision.
After
all, one of the preambles to Act 611 is that “every child is entitled to
protection and assistance in all circumstances …” Anyone convicted
under section 33 can face a fine of up to RM5,000 or a jail term of up
to two years or both.
To my mind, parents and guardians should
have had enough of all the coaxing, cajoling and public education since
Act 611 came into force on Aug 1, 2002. It is time that parents and
guardians are made accountable for their negligent acts.
Finally,
may we always be reminded by the words of former UN Chief, Kofi Annan:
“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with
children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their
rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives
are free from fear and want and that they can grow up in peace.”
> As
a mark of respect, this piece meant for last Sunday was held back till
after William’s funeral.
No comments:
Post a Comment