NST online. Letters. 24/04/07
By : L.G., Kuala Lumpur
IN a display of the worst kind of sensational journalism, innocent children, allegedly victims of abuse at home were put in front of the TV cameras, in the presence of a studio audience and asked to tell their stories.
No attempt was made to hide their identities.A little boy was asked: "Would you go back to your father? What if your mother came and called you now, would you go back to her?"
At this point, I was so shocked at the insensitivity of the producers of the programme and the presenters that I stopped watching the show called Naalai Namathe which was aired on Astro’s Channel 6 on April 15.
I was told by a friend that subsequently, three girls came on and that one of them said they were all afraid of going out for fear of being found by the alleged perpetrator of the violence against them.
Just how insensitive and irresponsible can a TV show get? Is this the way to discuss the issue of child abuse? If it was not enough that these children suffered abuse, family, friends, peers and the whole country now know their story and they have to face that humiliation, too.
Monday 30 April 2007
2007 04: No power to keep kids away
NST online. Local News. 13/04/07
THE Welfare Department’s hands are tied when it comes to street children, said its Johor Baru duty officer, Manayi Ibrahim.
There are no provisions under the Child Act 2001 which allow the department to take action against them.
"We can only pick them up if they are abandoned by their families or if they are caught begging.
"We have conducted several joint operations, codenamed Ops Sepadu, with the municipal council and police to clean up Johor Baru and to eradicate the problem of beggars.
"During these operations, we picked up several minors, We held them for a while but attempts to contact their families proved futile."
After counselling them, we had to let them go," he said on Wednesday.
The department was aware of the group of youngsters who have made Jalan Wong Ah Fook their home, but there are no provisions under the law to get them off the streets.
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Street children rounded up
NST online. Local News. 23/05/07
JOHOR BARU: For many weeks, street children, who have been a constant feature along the tourist strip of Jalan Wong Ah Fook, have disappeared.
Checks revealed that the five minors interviewed by the New Straits Times on April 11, were picked up by the Johor Welfare Department three days after the article was published.
Department director Kasim Yunus said the boys’ particulars were taken down and after attempts to contact their parents failed, were taken to their homes.
"We advised them not to loiter and go back to school."We have taken appropriate measures to ensure that they stay in school," Kasim said when met at the Children Protection Centre here yesterday.
THE Welfare Department’s hands are tied when it comes to street children, said its Johor Baru duty officer, Manayi Ibrahim.
There are no provisions under the Child Act 2001 which allow the department to take action against them.
"We can only pick them up if they are abandoned by their families or if they are caught begging.
"We have conducted several joint operations, codenamed Ops Sepadu, with the municipal council and police to clean up Johor Baru and to eradicate the problem of beggars.
"During these operations, we picked up several minors, We held them for a while but attempts to contact their families proved futile."
After counselling them, we had to let them go," he said on Wednesday.
The department was aware of the group of youngsters who have made Jalan Wong Ah Fook their home, but there are no provisions under the law to get them off the streets.
.............................................
Street children rounded up
NST online. Local News. 23/05/07
JOHOR BARU: For many weeks, street children, who have been a constant feature along the tourist strip of Jalan Wong Ah Fook, have disappeared.
Checks revealed that the five minors interviewed by the New Straits Times on April 11, were picked up by the Johor Welfare Department three days after the article was published.
Department director Kasim Yunus said the boys’ particulars were taken down and after attempts to contact their parents failed, were taken to their homes.
"We advised them not to loiter and go back to school."We have taken appropriate measures to ensure that they stay in school," Kasim said when met at the Children Protection Centre here yesterday.
2007 04: ‘Kidnapped’ girl married
NST online. Local News. Home News in Brief. 25/04/07
KOTA BARU: A 15-year-old school dropout, who was reported to have been kidnapped from her home in Johor two weeks ago, has been found safe and well in the arms of her new husband.
The groom, though, may be in trouble as not only is he a 49-year-old married man, he is also believed to be her uncle. A police spokesman said the girl was with the man when they were detained near the border at Jeram Perdah in Rantau Panjang on Sunday. The girl has been handed over to her family while the man will be sent to Tampoi for investigation.
KOTA BARU: A 15-year-old school dropout, who was reported to have been kidnapped from her home in Johor two weeks ago, has been found safe and well in the arms of her new husband.
The groom, though, may be in trouble as not only is he a 49-year-old married man, he is also believed to be her uncle. A police spokesman said the girl was with the man when they were detained near the border at Jeram Perdah in Rantau Panjang on Sunday. The girl has been handed over to her family while the man will be sent to Tampoi for investigation.
2007 04: Teen alleges first date rape
The Star online. News. Nation. Thursday April 26, 2007
JOHOR BARU: A 16-year-old girl flirted with a stranger for a month through SMS and finally decided to meet him. He raped her on their first date.
The girl, who works at a petrol station, met the 23-year-old man on April 23 in Danga Bay at around 12.30am.
After the date, she asked him to drop her off at her home in Skudai, but the man took her on his motorcycle to a shed in Taman Sri Bayu, raped her and then dropped her off near the Lido beach.
ACP Shafie said investigations were under way, adding that the suspect had not been apprehended yet.
JOHOR BARU: A 16-year-old girl flirted with a stranger for a month through SMS and finally decided to meet him. He raped her on their first date.
The girl, who works at a petrol station, met the 23-year-old man on April 23 in Danga Bay at around 12.30am.
After the date, she asked him to drop her off at her home in Skudai, but the man took her on his motorcycle to a shed in Taman Sri Bayu, raped her and then dropped her off near the Lido beach.
ACP Shafie said investigations were under way, adding that the suspect had not been apprehended yet.
2007 03: Uncle lures teen into life of crime
The Star online. News. South & East. Wednesday March 28, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: A 16-year-old girl quit school and her uncle, 50, offered her a lucrative paying job.
The only problem was that the man had 11 previous criminal records and he got his niece involved in his business of packing and distributing the synthetic drug, syabu, from a house in Tuaran district, about 25km from the city.
Police got word of their activities and raided the house at Telipok Ria last week and recovered syabu with a street value of about RM23,000.
They arrested the girl and her uncle and two other men and seized more than RM82,000 of goods from the house including two cars.
Sabah police anti narcotics chief Supt Yap Toon Khuan said the police team found 38 packets of a crystal-like substance totalling 67.1g.
“The house was used as a packing centre for the syabu which was distributed to drug dealers around Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu and nearby districts,” he said recently.
“We believe the 50-year-old man is the mastermind of the operation,” Supt Yap said.
He said police also believe the group had been operating since the middle of last year.
KOTA KINABALU: A 16-year-old girl quit school and her uncle, 50, offered her a lucrative paying job.
The only problem was that the man had 11 previous criminal records and he got his niece involved in his business of packing and distributing the synthetic drug, syabu, from a house in Tuaran district, about 25km from the city.
Police got word of their activities and raided the house at Telipok Ria last week and recovered syabu with a street value of about RM23,000.
They arrested the girl and her uncle and two other men and seized more than RM82,000 of goods from the house including two cars.
Sabah police anti narcotics chief Supt Yap Toon Khuan said the police team found 38 packets of a crystal-like substance totalling 67.1g.
“The house was used as a packing centre for the syabu which was distributed to drug dealers around Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu and nearby districts,” he said recently.
“We believe the 50-year-old man is the mastermind of the operation,” Supt Yap said.
He said police also believe the group had been operating since the middle of last year.
2007 03: Teen gang-raped by futsal team
The Star online. News. Nation. Friday March 23, 2007
BESUT: A teenage girl who went to watch a soccer match at a futsal court in Kampung Raja here claims that she was gang-raped by the football team with the cooperation of her boyfriend.
The 14-year-old victim alleged that her sweetheart, 20, had invited her to watch the game last week.
When they arrived at the court, he told to her to wait while he went to get his team.
About 10 minutes later, seven strangers surrounded the victim and took turns raping her.
The teenager claimed that she was helpless and, after almost 30 minutes, her boyfriend returned and began coaxing her against lodging a police report saying that if her parents found out, they would object to their relationship.
After a lengthy discussion, he managed to persuade her to keep the whole matter a secret and dropped the Form Two student at her home at about 11pm on that day.
The girl concealed the matter but her mother noticed that she was behaving strangely and asked her about it. Unable to keep the sordid tale to herself any longer, the girl told her parents what happened.
A police report was lodged and the police detained the victim’s boyfriend and two others aged between 19 and 21.
State CID chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Hazam Abdul Halim said police are still looking for the other men.
BESUT: A teenage girl who went to watch a soccer match at a futsal court in Kampung Raja here claims that she was gang-raped by the football team with the cooperation of her boyfriend.
The 14-year-old victim alleged that her sweetheart, 20, had invited her to watch the game last week.
When they arrived at the court, he told to her to wait while he went to get his team.
About 10 minutes later, seven strangers surrounded the victim and took turns raping her.
The teenager claimed that she was helpless and, after almost 30 minutes, her boyfriend returned and began coaxing her against lodging a police report saying that if her parents found out, they would object to their relationship.
After a lengthy discussion, he managed to persuade her to keep the whole matter a secret and dropped the Form Two student at her home at about 11pm on that day.
The girl concealed the matter but her mother noticed that she was behaving strangely and asked her about it. Unable to keep the sordid tale to herself any longer, the girl told her parents what happened.
A police report was lodged and the police detained the victim’s boyfriend and two others aged between 19 and 21.
State CID chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Hazam Abdul Halim said police are still looking for the other men.
2007 03: Deaf-mute held over rape of teen
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday March 10, 2007
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI
PONTIAN: A 67-year-old deaf and mute man allegedly raped a teenaged girl on three occasions, paying her between RM30 and RM40 each time.
According to police, he also threatened to slit her throat if she told anyone about the rape.
However, the matter was discovered when the 16-year-old complained of abdominal pains last month.
A medical check-up at a clinic in Air Baloi here showed her to be three months' pregnant.
Pontian OCPD Supt Zainuddin Zainal confirmed that the victim had lodged a police report on the alleged rape. The suspect has been arrested.
The victim, a secondary school student, claimed the man had raped her on three occasions since last October.
Supt Zainuddin said the first incident occurred at about 8pm in October when the victim was on her way to a grocery shop near her house.
The suspect invited here to his house using sign language. He then forced himself on her.
After raping her, he paid her RM30.
Later in the month, he raped her again in a hut in an oil palm estate in the area.
He raped her for a third time on Nov 15 in the same hut, this time paying her RM40, Supt Zainuddin said.
In an unrelated incident, a 31-year-old deaf-mute has been detained by police for allegedly raping a disabled factory worker on Feb 27.
Supt Zainuddin said the 31-year-old victim, who is also deaf and mute, was on her way home from work when the suspect approached her at a bus stop in Pekan Nenas.
Both suspect and victim are members of the Pekan Nenas Deaf and Mute Society.
“The suspect persuaded her to follow him on his motorcycle and took her to an oil palm plantation 5km away, where he raped her.
“He then sent her home,” Supt Zainuddin said, adding that the victim had lodged a police report on the same day.
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI
PONTIAN: A 67-year-old deaf and mute man allegedly raped a teenaged girl on three occasions, paying her between RM30 and RM40 each time.
According to police, he also threatened to slit her throat if she told anyone about the rape.
However, the matter was discovered when the 16-year-old complained of abdominal pains last month.
A medical check-up at a clinic in Air Baloi here showed her to be three months' pregnant.
Pontian OCPD Supt Zainuddin Zainal confirmed that the victim had lodged a police report on the alleged rape. The suspect has been arrested.
The victim, a secondary school student, claimed the man had raped her on three occasions since last October.
Supt Zainuddin said the first incident occurred at about 8pm in October when the victim was on her way to a grocery shop near her house.
The suspect invited here to his house using sign language. He then forced himself on her.
After raping her, he paid her RM30.
Later in the month, he raped her again in a hut in an oil palm estate in the area.
He raped her for a third time on Nov 15 in the same hut, this time paying her RM40, Supt Zainuddin said.
In an unrelated incident, a 31-year-old deaf-mute has been detained by police for allegedly raping a disabled factory worker on Feb 27.
Supt Zainuddin said the 31-year-old victim, who is also deaf and mute, was on her way home from work when the suspect approached her at a bus stop in Pekan Nenas.
Both suspect and victim are members of the Pekan Nenas Deaf and Mute Society.
“The suspect persuaded her to follow him on his motorcycle and took her to an oil palm plantation 5km away, where he raped her.
“He then sent her home,” Supt Zainuddin said, adding that the victim had lodged a police report on the same day.
2007 04: Man pleads guilty to abusing girlfriend's two-year-old daughter
The Star online. News. Nation. Wednesday April 25, 2007
By K.KASTURI DEWI
PENANG: A pasar malam trader pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court to physically and emotionally abusing his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter.
Muhamad Ferdaus Ahmed Jalaludeen, 22, of Desa Permai, Sungai Dua, here, admitted abusing the girl at the Flat Sri Wonder, Jalan Lintang, in Sungai Pinang, at 8pm on April 18.
Under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, Muhamad Ferdaus could be fined up to RM20,000 or jailed up to 10 years or both.
When the prosecution offered a bail of RM5,000, Muhamad Ferdaus, who was unrepresented, pleaded for lesser bail, saying that he had a sick father to care for and that he was remorseful.
Magistrate Ahmad Hidayat Md Nor fixed the bail at RM2,500.
Muhamad Ferdaus posted bail.
The court also fixed July 4 for facts and sentencing pending a fingerprint report.
...............................................
Man admits abusing toddler
The Star online. News. North. Thursday April 26, 2007
PENANG: A pasar malam trader pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court to physically and emotionally abusing his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter.
Muhamad Ferdaus Ahmed Jalaludeen, 22, of Desa Permai, Sungai Dua, here, admitted abusing the girl at the Sri Wonder Flats, Jalan Lintang in Sungai Pinang at 8pm on April 18.
Under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, Muhamad Ferdaus could be fined up to RM20,000 or jailed up to 10 years or both.
When the prosecution offered bail of RM5,000, Muhamad Ferdaus, who was un-represented, pleaded for a lesser bail, saying that he had a sick father to care for and that he was remorseful.
Magistrate Ahmad Hidayat Md Nor fixed bail at RM2,500 which Muhamad Ferdaus posted.
The court fixed July 4 for facts and sentencing pending a fingerprint report.
Newspapers had reported that Civil Defence Department personnel found the toddler with bruises and tied to the top of a refrigerator.
A concerned neighbour had called the department after hearing the child cry non-stop for more than 10 minutes in the seventh-floor flat.
The child was found tied to the top of the 1.5m refrigerator with nylon string.
By K.KASTURI DEWI
PENANG: A pasar malam trader pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court to physically and emotionally abusing his girlfriend's two-year-old daughter.
Muhamad Ferdaus Ahmed Jalaludeen, 22, of Desa Permai, Sungai Dua, here, admitted abusing the girl at the Flat Sri Wonder, Jalan Lintang, in Sungai Pinang, at 8pm on April 18.
Under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, Muhamad Ferdaus could be fined up to RM20,000 or jailed up to 10 years or both.
When the prosecution offered a bail of RM5,000, Muhamad Ferdaus, who was unrepresented, pleaded for lesser bail, saying that he had a sick father to care for and that he was remorseful.
Magistrate Ahmad Hidayat Md Nor fixed the bail at RM2,500.
Muhamad Ferdaus posted bail.
The court also fixed July 4 for facts and sentencing pending a fingerprint report.
...............................................
Man admits abusing toddler
The Star online. News. North. Thursday April 26, 2007
PENANG: A pasar malam trader pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court to physically and emotionally abusing his girlfriend’s two-year-old daughter.
Muhamad Ferdaus Ahmed Jalaludeen, 22, of Desa Permai, Sungai Dua, here, admitted abusing the girl at the Sri Wonder Flats, Jalan Lintang in Sungai Pinang at 8pm on April 18.
Under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, Muhamad Ferdaus could be fined up to RM20,000 or jailed up to 10 years or both.
When the prosecution offered bail of RM5,000, Muhamad Ferdaus, who was un-represented, pleaded for a lesser bail, saying that he had a sick father to care for and that he was remorseful.
Magistrate Ahmad Hidayat Md Nor fixed bail at RM2,500 which Muhamad Ferdaus posted.
The court fixed July 4 for facts and sentencing pending a fingerprint report.
Newspapers had reported that Civil Defence Department personnel found the toddler with bruises and tied to the top of a refrigerator.
A concerned neighbour had called the department after hearing the child cry non-stop for more than 10 minutes in the seventh-floor flat.
The child was found tied to the top of the 1.5m refrigerator with nylon string.
2007 04: Finders, not keepers
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday April 22, 2007
Finding somebody’s child under any circumstances, particularly one who does not look abandoned at all, does not entitle you to the “finders, keepers” principle.
POINT OF VIEW: BY TAN SRI HANIF OMAR
EVEN as I was typing out my last column, I was engulfed by concern for the safety of little Nazrin a.k.a Yin who went missing outside the Sogo Shopping Complex, Kuala Lumpur, on March 31.
Here was a hyperactive five-year-old boy who had left his father’s side and walked out into bustling Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to disappear into thin air, or into somebody’s arms. Both are frightening prospects to any parent at any time, particularly after a search of several hours and checks with the police and hospitals had proved fruitless.
The one thing that gave me a good feeling at that stage was the overwhelming wave of concern and sympathy that swept our society. People and organisations of all hues and cultures couldn’t care less of what race he was; he was just a vulnerable child who could be in dire danger.
In those two weeks we were all concerned Malaysians; some helping out across several states while so many others offered group and individual prayers for the child’s safety. If we can manifest this same kind of feeling for each other every time, a sympathy that cuts across racial and religious differences, we will more sooner than later be the united nation we want to be.
Remember how Cik Rozita of Kajang praised those Chinese doctors and temple committees in the Taman Kota Jaya area of Kota Tinggi who selflessly treated and fed her relatives and other victims of the December 2006, Johor floods without regard for race, religion or the lack of publicity for their efforts? They are the stuff that helps to make the sturdiest Malaysian tree.
While I am grateful that Yin has been returned to his parents safely by none other than the Myanmar refugee couple who found and kept him, I would score a negative for his father for being so careless in looking after him, particularly since he knew that Yin was hyperactive. He saw a shirt that he liked, not even one that he really needed, and he forgot about his “special” child.
Under his circumstances, he should have taken turns with his wife to look after their child or leash the child to him as my daughter used to do with her own when they were small.
As a former police officer who has seen children disappear or taken away never to return or to be found murdered and mutilated, I would strongly encourage parents to take the safety of their children more seriously.
Why do we forget so soon that recent incident where the child of a Myanmar couple in Kuala Lumpur wandered out of the house in the midst of a celebration only to be found dead near the house with both hands severed? Don’t we remember the case of the primary schoolboy in Klang who was taken away by a female stranger outside the school gate some 13 years ago? I don’t think he has been found. And the case of the primary schoolgirl a few years earlier who went out into the Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Ipoh junction in the early hours to buy nasi lemak for breakfast only to be found dead and sexually mutilated?
I can quote several more cases. Although such incidents don’t happen every day, the point is, there are all kinds of denizens out there in the public domain among our citizens, immigrants and illegal immigrants.
In his despair, Yin’s parents’ first concern was the safe return of his child. They assured whoever might have taken him to just return him and there would be no questions asked. I would have done and said the same thing. So, when the Myanmar couple were arrested by the police for investigation into possible abduction, Yin’s parents were deluged by numerous SMS condemning them for reneging on their promise and expressing sympathy for the Mymmar refugee couple “who had kindly cared for Yin”, “who did not know that there was a search for Yin as they do not read the papers nor watch television”. “They did not know the law!”
My friends, were you among those who sent out these SMS? I hope not because I cannot believe that even in Mymmar or among the Rohingyas, finding somebody’s child under any circumstances, particularly one who does not look abandoned at all, entitles you to the “finders, keepers” principle. I am sure the Mymmar couple themselves do not subscribe to that principle in respect of their own children. So, why didn’t they report to the police or some convenient authority their finding of Yin? Why didn’t they consult their friends and relatives?
Instead, they lied to their neighbours about the circumstances of Yin’s appearance in their midst! They changed his name! I am sure that they could have coaxed out of even a five-year-old boy the name by which he is known!
If we do not show such people that their act of depriving a family of its member is a serious crime, even though they did not mistreat the child, our streets will be even less safe in a short while. Why those SMS senders cannot see this, is beyond me. Why, the boy was kept for 15 days!
No doubt the boy was returned by the couple safely but that should mitigate, not absolve them. Would they have returned the boy if there had been no such unprecedented hue and cry, and publicity that, with each passing day, would have made their secret more precarious to keep? Were they not also motivated by the promise of “no questions will be asked” coupled by the offer of a reward for his return? These can be powerful incentives to a refugee couple eking out a living.
We have thousands of such “refugees” in our country, particularly around Kuala Lumpur. Most are destitute, living from hand to mouth. Some survive by begging and by turning their children into beggars.
The UNHCR has a duty not to give their “refugee stamp” to people who are so clearly economic migrants who have illegally entered Malaysia but, if they do, then it is absolutely their responsibility to care for them so that they do not become yet another local social problem.
The idea of the UNHCR is good and necessary but sometimes its officials may be motivated more by the desire to justify their own existence!
Finding somebody’s child under any circumstances, particularly one who does not look abandoned at all, does not entitle you to the “finders, keepers” principle.
POINT OF VIEW: BY TAN SRI HANIF OMAR
EVEN as I was typing out my last column, I was engulfed by concern for the safety of little Nazrin a.k.a Yin who went missing outside the Sogo Shopping Complex, Kuala Lumpur, on March 31.
Here was a hyperactive five-year-old boy who had left his father’s side and walked out into bustling Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to disappear into thin air, or into somebody’s arms. Both are frightening prospects to any parent at any time, particularly after a search of several hours and checks with the police and hospitals had proved fruitless.
The one thing that gave me a good feeling at that stage was the overwhelming wave of concern and sympathy that swept our society. People and organisations of all hues and cultures couldn’t care less of what race he was; he was just a vulnerable child who could be in dire danger.
In those two weeks we were all concerned Malaysians; some helping out across several states while so many others offered group and individual prayers for the child’s safety. If we can manifest this same kind of feeling for each other every time, a sympathy that cuts across racial and religious differences, we will more sooner than later be the united nation we want to be.
Remember how Cik Rozita of Kajang praised those Chinese doctors and temple committees in the Taman Kota Jaya area of Kota Tinggi who selflessly treated and fed her relatives and other victims of the December 2006, Johor floods without regard for race, religion or the lack of publicity for their efforts? They are the stuff that helps to make the sturdiest Malaysian tree.
While I am grateful that Yin has been returned to his parents safely by none other than the Myanmar refugee couple who found and kept him, I would score a negative for his father for being so careless in looking after him, particularly since he knew that Yin was hyperactive. He saw a shirt that he liked, not even one that he really needed, and he forgot about his “special” child.
Under his circumstances, he should have taken turns with his wife to look after their child or leash the child to him as my daughter used to do with her own when they were small.
As a former police officer who has seen children disappear or taken away never to return or to be found murdered and mutilated, I would strongly encourage parents to take the safety of their children more seriously.
Why do we forget so soon that recent incident where the child of a Myanmar couple in Kuala Lumpur wandered out of the house in the midst of a celebration only to be found dead near the house with both hands severed? Don’t we remember the case of the primary schoolboy in Klang who was taken away by a female stranger outside the school gate some 13 years ago? I don’t think he has been found. And the case of the primary schoolgirl a few years earlier who went out into the Jalan Tun Razak-Jalan Ipoh junction in the early hours to buy nasi lemak for breakfast only to be found dead and sexually mutilated?
I can quote several more cases. Although such incidents don’t happen every day, the point is, there are all kinds of denizens out there in the public domain among our citizens, immigrants and illegal immigrants.
In his despair, Yin’s parents’ first concern was the safe return of his child. They assured whoever might have taken him to just return him and there would be no questions asked. I would have done and said the same thing. So, when the Myanmar couple were arrested by the police for investigation into possible abduction, Yin’s parents were deluged by numerous SMS condemning them for reneging on their promise and expressing sympathy for the Mymmar refugee couple “who had kindly cared for Yin”, “who did not know that there was a search for Yin as they do not read the papers nor watch television”. “They did not know the law!”
My friends, were you among those who sent out these SMS? I hope not because I cannot believe that even in Mymmar or among the Rohingyas, finding somebody’s child under any circumstances, particularly one who does not look abandoned at all, entitles you to the “finders, keepers” principle. I am sure the Mymmar couple themselves do not subscribe to that principle in respect of their own children. So, why didn’t they report to the police or some convenient authority their finding of Yin? Why didn’t they consult their friends and relatives?
Instead, they lied to their neighbours about the circumstances of Yin’s appearance in their midst! They changed his name! I am sure that they could have coaxed out of even a five-year-old boy the name by which he is known!
If we do not show such people that their act of depriving a family of its member is a serious crime, even though they did not mistreat the child, our streets will be even less safe in a short while. Why those SMS senders cannot see this, is beyond me. Why, the boy was kept for 15 days!
No doubt the boy was returned by the couple safely but that should mitigate, not absolve them. Would they have returned the boy if there had been no such unprecedented hue and cry, and publicity that, with each passing day, would have made their secret more precarious to keep? Were they not also motivated by the promise of “no questions will be asked” coupled by the offer of a reward for his return? These can be powerful incentives to a refugee couple eking out a living.
We have thousands of such “refugees” in our country, particularly around Kuala Lumpur. Most are destitute, living from hand to mouth. Some survive by begging and by turning their children into beggars.
The UNHCR has a duty not to give their “refugee stamp” to people who are so clearly economic migrants who have illegally entered Malaysia but, if they do, then it is absolutely their responsibility to care for them so that they do not become yet another local social problem.
The idea of the UNHCR is good and necessary but sometimes its officials may be motivated more by the desire to justify their own existence!
2007 04: Court told mother stabbed her child to discipline him
The Star online. News. Nation. Friday April 20, 2007
By CECIL FUNG
KUALA LUMPUR: A mother of eight stabbed her eight-year-old son with a knife in order to discipline him.
On Friday, a magistrate’s court here let off Katijah Kassim, 38, with a three-year good behaviour bond after convicting her for committing assault.
The housewife, whose youngest child is eight-months-old, was suffering from post-natal depression at the time of the offence.
Apart from the RM3,000 non-secured bond, magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani also ordered her to pay a prosecution fee of RM500 after she pleaded guilty to the charge.
The magistrate, however, warned her that he would review her case if she were to breach the bond.
“Look after your children well. If you breach the bond, I will not hesitate to recall your case and impose a heavier sentence later,” said the magistrate.
Katijah had, in a twist of fate, slipped and fell, breaking both her legs and fracturing her spine weeks after the incident.
She had to be carried into the dock by her storekeeper husband before she admitted to stabbing their son Muhammad Hafizat, whom she claimed was too naughty, at their flats in Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park around 10am on Dec 20 last year.
The court was told of how her eldest son Mohd Hamdan, who was sleeping in the living room at the time, had heard his younger brother’s screams from the bedroom.
Mohd Hamdan, 14, rushed into the room to find his mother stabbing Muhammad Hafizat on his back with a knife.
He immediately grabbed the knife from Katijah and threw it into the kitchen sink before carrying his wounded brother to his grandmother’s unit at another block for help.
....................................................
Second chance for mum who stabbed son
The Star online. News. Courts. Saturday April 21, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: A mother of eight stabbed her eight-year-old son with a knife in order to discipline him.
Yesterday, a magistrate’s court here let off Katijah Kassim, 38, with a three-year good behaviour bond after convicting her for committing assault.
The housewife, whose youngest child is eight-months-old, was suffering from post-natal depression at the time of the offence.
Apart from the RM3,000 non-secured bond, magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani also ordered her to pay a prosecution fee of RM500 after she pleaded guilty to the charge.
The magistrate, however, warned her that he would review her case if she were to breach the bond.
“Look after your children well. If you breach the bond, I will not hesitate to recall your case and impose a heavier sentence later,” said the magistrate.
Katijah had, in a twist of fate, slipped and fell, breaking both her legs and fracturing her spine weeks after the incident.
She had to be carried into the dock by her storekeeper husband before she admitted to stabbing their son Muhammad Hafizat, whom she claimed was too naughty, at their flat in Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park around 10am on Dec 20 last year.
The court was told of how her eldest son Mohd Hamdan, who was sleeping in the living room at the time, had heard his younger brother’s screams from the bedroom.
Mohd Hamdan, 14, rushed into the room to find his mother stabbing Muhammad Hafizat on his back with a knife.
He immediately grabbed the knife from Katijah and threw it into the kitchen sink before carrying his wounded brother to his grandmother’s unit at another block.
Muhammad Hafizat had injuries on his chest and back as well as his lungs.
By CECIL FUNG
KUALA LUMPUR: A mother of eight stabbed her eight-year-old son with a knife in order to discipline him.
On Friday, a magistrate’s court here let off Katijah Kassim, 38, with a three-year good behaviour bond after convicting her for committing assault.
The housewife, whose youngest child is eight-months-old, was suffering from post-natal depression at the time of the offence.
Apart from the RM3,000 non-secured bond, magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani also ordered her to pay a prosecution fee of RM500 after she pleaded guilty to the charge.
The magistrate, however, warned her that he would review her case if she were to breach the bond.
“Look after your children well. If you breach the bond, I will not hesitate to recall your case and impose a heavier sentence later,” said the magistrate.
Katijah had, in a twist of fate, slipped and fell, breaking both her legs and fracturing her spine weeks after the incident.
She had to be carried into the dock by her storekeeper husband before she admitted to stabbing their son Muhammad Hafizat, whom she claimed was too naughty, at their flats in Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park around 10am on Dec 20 last year.
The court was told of how her eldest son Mohd Hamdan, who was sleeping in the living room at the time, had heard his younger brother’s screams from the bedroom.
Mohd Hamdan, 14, rushed into the room to find his mother stabbing Muhammad Hafizat on his back with a knife.
He immediately grabbed the knife from Katijah and threw it into the kitchen sink before carrying his wounded brother to his grandmother’s unit at another block for help.
....................................................
Second chance for mum who stabbed son
The Star online. News. Courts. Saturday April 21, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: A mother of eight stabbed her eight-year-old son with a knife in order to discipline him.
Yesterday, a magistrate’s court here let off Katijah Kassim, 38, with a three-year good behaviour bond after convicting her for committing assault.
The housewife, whose youngest child is eight-months-old, was suffering from post-natal depression at the time of the offence.
Apart from the RM3,000 non-secured bond, magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani also ordered her to pay a prosecution fee of RM500 after she pleaded guilty to the charge.
The magistrate, however, warned her that he would review her case if she were to breach the bond.
“Look after your children well. If you breach the bond, I will not hesitate to recall your case and impose a heavier sentence later,” said the magistrate.
Katijah had, in a twist of fate, slipped and fell, breaking both her legs and fracturing her spine weeks after the incident.
She had to be carried into the dock by her storekeeper husband before she admitted to stabbing their son Muhammad Hafizat, whom she claimed was too naughty, at their flat in Kuchai Entrepreneurs Park around 10am on Dec 20 last year.
The court was told of how her eldest son Mohd Hamdan, who was sleeping in the living room at the time, had heard his younger brother’s screams from the bedroom.
Mohd Hamdan, 14, rushed into the room to find his mother stabbing Muhammad Hafizat on his back with a knife.
He immediately grabbed the knife from Katijah and threw it into the kitchen sink before carrying his wounded brother to his grandmother’s unit at another block.
Muhammad Hafizat had injuries on his chest and back as well as his lungs.
2007 04: Girl hurt after jumping from school building
The Star online. News. Nation. Wednesday April 18, 2007
By RASHITHA A. HAMID
KUALA LUMPUR: An 11-year-old girl, said to be suffering from severe depression, is in serious condition after jumping from her school building in Cheras.
The Year Five pupil of SK (C) Taman Connaught 1 broke her legs and sustained head and body injuries after jumping from the first floor of the school building on Monday.
She has been warded at the intensive care unit of HUKM.
Her father, who only wanted to be identified as Chong, 40, said his 20-year-old daughter had gone to the school at 3pm to pick up the girl for tuition.
He said the younger girl ran towards the school building and jumped from the first floor upon seeing her eldest sister.
He claimed that the girl, the second youngest among four siblings, had been depressed since his wife gave birth to their youngest child, a boy, two years ago.
Chong said his daughter had not attended school for the first three months this year due to severe depression and was on medication.
Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Rusli Ahmad said police had received a report and were investigating it.
By RASHITHA A. HAMID
KUALA LUMPUR: An 11-year-old girl, said to be suffering from severe depression, is in serious condition after jumping from her school building in Cheras.
The Year Five pupil of SK (C) Taman Connaught 1 broke her legs and sustained head and body injuries after jumping from the first floor of the school building on Monday.
She has been warded at the intensive care unit of HUKM.
Her father, who only wanted to be identified as Chong, 40, said his 20-year-old daughter had gone to the school at 3pm to pick up the girl for tuition.
He said the younger girl ran towards the school building and jumped from the first floor upon seeing her eldest sister.
He claimed that the girl, the second youngest among four siblings, had been depressed since his wife gave birth to their youngest child, a boy, two years ago.
Chong said his daughter had not attended school for the first three months this year due to severe depression and was on medication.
Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Rusli Ahmad said police had received a report and were investigating it.
2007 04: Shahrizat: It’s odd people didn’t notice missing boy
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday April 16, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: It is strange that with the good communication facilities available in the country, no one realised that the five-year-old boy staying with a Myanmar couple was Muhammad Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali, also known as Yin, who went missing on March 31.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said it was odd that people were not aware that Nazrin was staying in Sentul Pasar although he had been featured in the radio, television and newspapers over the past two weeks.
“Although every one is grateful that the boy was handed over to the parents safe and sound, the question still remains why no one saw him, and how it was possible the couple kept him away from the eyes of the public for two weeks.
“If claims of the boy being taken to a clinic to seek treatment for chicken pox, or that he was taken around the neighbourhood are true, then why didn’t anyone report it?
“I want the police to get to the bottom of this, as it is ridiculous that a child can go missing for such a long period without being traced.
“Children can be smuggled to other countries or be forced to beg, and we don’t want such things occurring,” she told reporters after visiting Nazrin at Kuala Lumpur Hospital yesterday with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Nazrin’s father Shamsul Ghazali Shamsuddin, 34, said he agreed with Rosmah’s suggestion to strap hyperactive children, in view of the nightmare the family went through after their son went missing.
Shamsul, however, said he bore no grudges, and thanked God his son had been returned to him unharmed.
On the Myanmar couple who had been detained for questioning, Shamsul said he would leave it to the police to carry out their investigations.
................................................
Support kept Nazrin’s parents going
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday April 16, 2007
By LOONG MENG YEE
PETALING JAYA: During the two weeks of hell he went through when his son was lost, Shamsul Ghazali Shamsuddin wondered bitterly how cold a city Kuala Lumpur could be for “swallowing” up his son without a trace.
Coming from Ipoh, Shamsul, 34, had never been too at home during his trips to Kuala Lumpur because he found most city folk in a rush and preoccupied with their own lives.
So when his son, Muhammad Nazrin, wandered off during a family shopping trip to Sogo, Shamsul never expected city folk and the nation to care much.
“The two weeks were the toughest test from God. We would not have survived the ordeal without the support from our relatives, friends and even strangers,” said Shamsul, when interviewed hours after Nazrin, fondly known as Yin, was found on Saturday.
It turned out Nazrin had been cared for by a Myanmar family after he had wandered out by himself from the shopping mall on March 31. The Myanmar family had kept him because they claimed that they did not know that Nazrin was a missing boy.
Police have since detained the Myanmar couple in connection with the case.
Kuala Lumpur folk and the nation showed their caring side by springing into action, looking for Nazrin from the day he went missing.
Family members, too, rallied around Shamsul and his wife, Nur Amizah Ahmad, 25. Besides sheltering the couple, they roamed the city distributing flyers with Nazrin’s photographs.
Shamsul, a Bank Islam worker, also went to Sogo nearly every day to look for Nazrin.
“Strangers of all races came up to me, asking me to be strong and said they were praying for Yin’s safe return,” he said.
“There were also hundreds of supporting calls and SMSes. This encouragement kept me going.”
After this incident, Shamsul will keep a tighter watch on his two sons. And he no longer regards Kuala Lumpur as uncaring, saying: “We'll be back.”
...............................................
Couple who found Yin held
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday April 16, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have detained the Myanmar couple who found five-year-old Muhammad Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali and kept him in their house.
The couple were picked up at their house near Sentul Pasar at about 1pm yesterday to help investigations, said City acting CPO Senior Asst Comm (I) Mohd Zulahasnan Najib Baharuddin.
“We will obtain remand orders today. They are being investigated under Section 363 of the Penal Code on suspicion of abducting the boy,” he told reporters yesterday.
Based on several reports from the public, the boy was seen in several places in Klang Valley over the past few days, he said.
However, SAC Mohd Zulhasnan refused to say what Nazrin, fondly known as Yin, was doing in those places.
“We will get the callers to record their statements,” he said.
Police are also investigating if the five children in the couple’s house were theirs, he said.
Nazrin went missing on March 31 while his father, Shamsul Ghazali Shamsuddin, was trying on some clothes at the Sogo shopping mall in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman here.
Shamsul’s friend Baharuddin Hassan picked up the boy from the Myanmar couple’s house after they called him to say Nazrin had been in their care for the past two weeks. Baharuddin's phone number was on Nazrin's missing boy poster.
Baharuddin then notified Nazrin’s parents, who were at their home in Chemor, Perak. They were later reunited with their son.
...........................................
No excuse for neglect
The Star online. News. Opinion. Tuesday April 17, 2007
I AM sure a lot of Malaysians who have been following the stories on Mohd Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali aka Yin are breathing a huge sigh of relief now that he is back in his parents' arms.
I would now like to take Yin's parents to task for being so careless with their son. I realise there are distractions in a shopping complex that can sway one's attention from one's immediate responsibilities like one's child/children.
But there is no excuse for being careless and not caring for the welfare of the child.
According to reports, when the Myanmar woman found Yin wondering along the street he was saying something that sounded like “besan”. I believe the word is “bosan”. Yin, being a hyperactive boy, must have got bored being forced to follow his parents and decided to go off by himself to look for something interesting to do or see.
With the parents' attention directed somewhere else, it would be some time before one or both of them realise they have lost sight of Yin. By this time Yin would have wondered off and following his heart. He just went off to wherever he thought was best for him.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looks at the situation, he decided to go out of the building into an unfamiliar world. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looks at the situation again, the Myanmar woman found him and decided to take him home.
From then on the only person who can throw any light on what happened to him during the two weeks he was with the family is Yin himself. But Yin cannot talk properly and being a child will not comprehend what happened to him.
So things go back to square one unless the police can glean something from the Myanmar family.
I would like to suggest that all shopping complexes provide a place that is very safe and conducive to children where parents can leave their charges and go shopping to their heart's content without worry.
Occasionally, they can check at the “centre” to find out how their child/children are faring. Of course such centres will not be free but if it is made children-friendly with all sorts of playthings and reading and writing materials, whatever fee is charged will be worth it.
These centres should be manned by experienced people in childcare, and who have the patience to deal with children.
If the owners of the shopping complexes think it is too much for them to provide such facilities, then the local authorities should provide such facilities.
The shopping complex owners then will chip in to run the care centres.
With such facilities, shoppers need not have fear losing them in the crowd. Shopping complex owners will be ensured of constant customers who will not have to worry of the whereabouts of their child/children.
Lastly, now that Yin is back in their arms, his parents will have to be extra careful with their hyperactive son. It may be difficult to keep up with him but that is what parents have to put up with when they decide to have children.
My wife and I did that for the last 30 odd years of our lives. One cannot take off one's eyes off a child like Yin. Just don't let his vast amount of energy burn out before he reaches his youth.
MOHD GHAZALI OSMAN,
Ipoh.
KUALA LUMPUR: It is strange that with the good communication facilities available in the country, no one realised that the five-year-old boy staying with a Myanmar couple was Muhammad Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali, also known as Yin, who went missing on March 31.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said it was odd that people were not aware that Nazrin was staying in Sentul Pasar although he had been featured in the radio, television and newspapers over the past two weeks.
“Although every one is grateful that the boy was handed over to the parents safe and sound, the question still remains why no one saw him, and how it was possible the couple kept him away from the eyes of the public for two weeks.
“If claims of the boy being taken to a clinic to seek treatment for chicken pox, or that he was taken around the neighbourhood are true, then why didn’t anyone report it?
“I want the police to get to the bottom of this, as it is ridiculous that a child can go missing for such a long period without being traced.
“Children can be smuggled to other countries or be forced to beg, and we don’t want such things occurring,” she told reporters after visiting Nazrin at Kuala Lumpur Hospital yesterday with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Nazrin’s father Shamsul Ghazali Shamsuddin, 34, said he agreed with Rosmah’s suggestion to strap hyperactive children, in view of the nightmare the family went through after their son went missing.
Shamsul, however, said he bore no grudges, and thanked God his son had been returned to him unharmed.
On the Myanmar couple who had been detained for questioning, Shamsul said he would leave it to the police to carry out their investigations.
................................................
Support kept Nazrin’s parents going
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday April 16, 2007
By LOONG MENG YEE
PETALING JAYA: During the two weeks of hell he went through when his son was lost, Shamsul Ghazali Shamsuddin wondered bitterly how cold a city Kuala Lumpur could be for “swallowing” up his son without a trace.
Coming from Ipoh, Shamsul, 34, had never been too at home during his trips to Kuala Lumpur because he found most city folk in a rush and preoccupied with their own lives.
So when his son, Muhammad Nazrin, wandered off during a family shopping trip to Sogo, Shamsul never expected city folk and the nation to care much.
“The two weeks were the toughest test from God. We would not have survived the ordeal without the support from our relatives, friends and even strangers,” said Shamsul, when interviewed hours after Nazrin, fondly known as Yin, was found on Saturday.
It turned out Nazrin had been cared for by a Myanmar family after he had wandered out by himself from the shopping mall on March 31. The Myanmar family had kept him because they claimed that they did not know that Nazrin was a missing boy.
Police have since detained the Myanmar couple in connection with the case.
Kuala Lumpur folk and the nation showed their caring side by springing into action, looking for Nazrin from the day he went missing.
Family members, too, rallied around Shamsul and his wife, Nur Amizah Ahmad, 25. Besides sheltering the couple, they roamed the city distributing flyers with Nazrin’s photographs.
Shamsul, a Bank Islam worker, also went to Sogo nearly every day to look for Nazrin.
“Strangers of all races came up to me, asking me to be strong and said they were praying for Yin’s safe return,” he said.
“There were also hundreds of supporting calls and SMSes. This encouragement kept me going.”
After this incident, Shamsul will keep a tighter watch on his two sons. And he no longer regards Kuala Lumpur as uncaring, saying: “We'll be back.”
...............................................
Couple who found Yin held
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday April 16, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have detained the Myanmar couple who found five-year-old Muhammad Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali and kept him in their house.
The couple were picked up at their house near Sentul Pasar at about 1pm yesterday to help investigations, said City acting CPO Senior Asst Comm (I) Mohd Zulahasnan Najib Baharuddin.
“We will obtain remand orders today. They are being investigated under Section 363 of the Penal Code on suspicion of abducting the boy,” he told reporters yesterday.
Based on several reports from the public, the boy was seen in several places in Klang Valley over the past few days, he said.
However, SAC Mohd Zulhasnan refused to say what Nazrin, fondly known as Yin, was doing in those places.
“We will get the callers to record their statements,” he said.
Police are also investigating if the five children in the couple’s house were theirs, he said.
Nazrin went missing on March 31 while his father, Shamsul Ghazali Shamsuddin, was trying on some clothes at the Sogo shopping mall in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman here.
Shamsul’s friend Baharuddin Hassan picked up the boy from the Myanmar couple’s house after they called him to say Nazrin had been in their care for the past two weeks. Baharuddin's phone number was on Nazrin's missing boy poster.
Baharuddin then notified Nazrin’s parents, who were at their home in Chemor, Perak. They were later reunited with their son.
...........................................
No excuse for neglect
The Star online. News. Opinion. Tuesday April 17, 2007
I AM sure a lot of Malaysians who have been following the stories on Mohd Nazrin Shamsul Ghazali aka Yin are breathing a huge sigh of relief now that he is back in his parents' arms.
I would now like to take Yin's parents to task for being so careless with their son. I realise there are distractions in a shopping complex that can sway one's attention from one's immediate responsibilities like one's child/children.
But there is no excuse for being careless and not caring for the welfare of the child.
According to reports, when the Myanmar woman found Yin wondering along the street he was saying something that sounded like “besan”. I believe the word is “bosan”. Yin, being a hyperactive boy, must have got bored being forced to follow his parents and decided to go off by himself to look for something interesting to do or see.
With the parents' attention directed somewhere else, it would be some time before one or both of them realise they have lost sight of Yin. By this time Yin would have wondered off and following his heart. He just went off to wherever he thought was best for him.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looks at the situation, he decided to go out of the building into an unfamiliar world. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how one looks at the situation again, the Myanmar woman found him and decided to take him home.
From then on the only person who can throw any light on what happened to him during the two weeks he was with the family is Yin himself. But Yin cannot talk properly and being a child will not comprehend what happened to him.
So things go back to square one unless the police can glean something from the Myanmar family.
I would like to suggest that all shopping complexes provide a place that is very safe and conducive to children where parents can leave their charges and go shopping to their heart's content without worry.
Occasionally, they can check at the “centre” to find out how their child/children are faring. Of course such centres will not be free but if it is made children-friendly with all sorts of playthings and reading and writing materials, whatever fee is charged will be worth it.
These centres should be manned by experienced people in childcare, and who have the patience to deal with children.
If the owners of the shopping complexes think it is too much for them to provide such facilities, then the local authorities should provide such facilities.
The shopping complex owners then will chip in to run the care centres.
With such facilities, shoppers need not have fear losing them in the crowd. Shopping complex owners will be ensured of constant customers who will not have to worry of the whereabouts of their child/children.
Lastly, now that Yin is back in their arms, his parents will have to be extra careful with their hyperactive son. It may be difficult to keep up with him but that is what parents have to put up with when they decide to have children.
My wife and I did that for the last 30 odd years of our lives. One cannot take off one's eyes off a child like Yin. Just don't let his vast amount of energy burn out before he reaches his youth.
MOHD GHAZALI OSMAN,
Ipoh.
2007 04: Storekeeper jailed for raping fiance's close friend
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday April 9, 2007
IPOH: A storekeeper was jailed for six years and given three strokes of the rotan for raping his fiancé’s 14-year-old close friend.
Zul Effendi Taju Aripin, a 28-year-old divorcee, who has a six-year-old child, had pleaded guilty to raping the girl at a football field near Jalan Kampar in Pasir Putih between 6.15pm and 8.30pm on March 26 this year.
Zul Effendi remained expressionless when Sessions judge Tan Hooi Leng meted out the sentence on Monday.
According to the statement of the facts, Zul Effendi had taken the victim for a ride in his car.
At the field, he asked the girl to take her clothes off and when she refused, he forced himself on her.
Zul Effendi was arrested on March 28 at his rented home in Pasir Putih after the victim lodged a police report.
In pressing for a deterrent sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling asked the judge to take the victim’s injuries into consideration.
Pardeep Singh Gill, counsel for Zul Effendi, said his client had admitted to the offence and had also apologised to the victim and her family.
“He also has a six-year-old child to care for and his salary is only RM400 a month,” he said.
Tan ordered the sentence to be served from the date of his arrest.
.............................................
Six years for raping fiancée’s teen friend
The Star online. News. Courts. Tuesday April 10, 2007
IPOH: A storekeeper was jailed six years and given three strokes of the rotan for raping his fiancée’s 14-year-old close friend.
Zul Effendi Taju Aripin, 28, who is divorced and has a six-year-old child, pleaded guilty to raping the girl at a football field near Jalan Kampar in Pasir Putih between 6.15pm and 8.30pm on March 26 this year.
According to the statement of the facts, Zul Effendi had taken the victim for a ride in his car.
At the field, he asked the girl to take her clothes off and when she refused, he forced himself on her.
Zul Effendi was arrested on March 28 after the victim lodged a police report.
Tan ordered the sentence to be served from the date of arrest.
IPOH: A storekeeper was jailed for six years and given three strokes of the rotan for raping his fiancé’s 14-year-old close friend.
Zul Effendi Taju Aripin, a 28-year-old divorcee, who has a six-year-old child, had pleaded guilty to raping the girl at a football field near Jalan Kampar in Pasir Putih between 6.15pm and 8.30pm on March 26 this year.
Zul Effendi remained expressionless when Sessions judge Tan Hooi Leng meted out the sentence on Monday.
According to the statement of the facts, Zul Effendi had taken the victim for a ride in his car.
At the field, he asked the girl to take her clothes off and when she refused, he forced himself on her.
Zul Effendi was arrested on March 28 at his rented home in Pasir Putih after the victim lodged a police report.
In pressing for a deterrent sentence, Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling asked the judge to take the victim’s injuries into consideration.
Pardeep Singh Gill, counsel for Zul Effendi, said his client had admitted to the offence and had also apologised to the victim and her family.
“He also has a six-year-old child to care for and his salary is only RM400 a month,” he said.
Tan ordered the sentence to be served from the date of his arrest.
.............................................
Six years for raping fiancée’s teen friend
The Star online. News. Courts. Tuesday April 10, 2007
IPOH: A storekeeper was jailed six years and given three strokes of the rotan for raping his fiancée’s 14-year-old close friend.
Zul Effendi Taju Aripin, 28, who is divorced and has a six-year-old child, pleaded guilty to raping the girl at a football field near Jalan Kampar in Pasir Putih between 6.15pm and 8.30pm on March 26 this year.
According to the statement of the facts, Zul Effendi had taken the victim for a ride in his car.
At the field, he asked the girl to take her clothes off and when she refused, he forced himself on her.
Zul Effendi was arrested on March 28 after the victim lodged a police report.
Tan ordered the sentence to be served from the date of arrest.
2007 04: Child suffocates in dad’s locked car
The Star online. News. Nation. Wednesday April 4, 2007
SUNGAI PETANI: It was a double tragedy for a welder who was attending his wife’s grandmother’s funeral in Bedong near here.
S. Manimaran’s three-year-old daughter, Srimathi (pic), who was left inside his parked car, died of suffocation while he was with the funeral procession.
Manimaran, 33, had driven his wife Kasturi Srimathi and her three siblings from their home in Sungai Lallang to Taman Permaipura in Bedong for the funeral at 3.30pm yesterday.
At the funeral home, Manimaran and the others got off but Srimathi was asleep in the car.
They hitched a ride on another car to join the procession to the Hindu crematorium about 10km from Taman Permaipura.
It was at the crematorium that Manimaran realised that Srimathi had been left alone in his car.
He rushed back and found her unconscious.
She was rushed to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
SUNGAI PETANI: It was a double tragedy for a welder who was attending his wife’s grandmother’s funeral in Bedong near here.
S. Manimaran’s three-year-old daughter, Srimathi (pic), who was left inside his parked car, died of suffocation while he was with the funeral procession.
Manimaran, 33, had driven his wife Kasturi Srimathi and her three siblings from their home in Sungai Lallang to Taman Permaipura in Bedong for the funeral at 3.30pm yesterday.
At the funeral home, Manimaran and the others got off but Srimathi was asleep in the car.
They hitched a ride on another car to join the procession to the Hindu crematorium about 10km from Taman Permaipura.
It was at the crematorium that Manimaran realised that Srimathi had been left alone in his car.
He rushed back and found her unconscious.
She was rushed to Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital where she was pronounced dead upon arrival.
2007 04: Beware the sexual harassers
The Star online. News. Opinion. Wednesday April 4, 2007
RESEARCH has shown that sexual harassment is a major problem faced by not only women but also men.
However, based on what I know on the issue of sexual harassment, there is little if not no attention being paid to it.
The issue that is waiting to be raised is not sexual harassment in the work place as there have been many initiatives by the government and organisations to handle sexual harassment but the issue of sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning.
In a nutshell, sexual harassment is an act which can be physical, visual or verbal and that can cause emotional trauma and distress.
What happens if an eight-year-old child (male or female) is sexually harassed?
He or she may not know what has happened. Most of these cases go unnoticed or only get noticed when sexual harassment turns to molest or rape.
But how many children actually have the courage to report a teacher or a fellow student? Do they know that they have rights if they are harassed?
The issue of sexual harassment is not any where near the issue of sex education.
I feel that the Education and Higher Education Ministry should start taking steps to create awareness on sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning. Creating awareness is the best way of stemming sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning.
In organisations or the public sector, there are guidelines that are in place to handle sexual harassment. Disciplinary action can be taken, then again, it all depends on the organisation.
Criminal charges can be filed but it is almost impossible to prove the harasser wrong beyond reasonable doubt.
The only way is via education and awareness programmes. Please do not forget we have children in schools and institutions of higher learning and they may be victims of sexual harassment or they can be harassers.
V. MANO,
Kajang
RESEARCH has shown that sexual harassment is a major problem faced by not only women but also men.
However, based on what I know on the issue of sexual harassment, there is little if not no attention being paid to it.
The issue that is waiting to be raised is not sexual harassment in the work place as there have been many initiatives by the government and organisations to handle sexual harassment but the issue of sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning.
In a nutshell, sexual harassment is an act which can be physical, visual or verbal and that can cause emotional trauma and distress.
What happens if an eight-year-old child (male or female) is sexually harassed?
He or she may not know what has happened. Most of these cases go unnoticed or only get noticed when sexual harassment turns to molest or rape.
But how many children actually have the courage to report a teacher or a fellow student? Do they know that they have rights if they are harassed?
The issue of sexual harassment is not any where near the issue of sex education.
I feel that the Education and Higher Education Ministry should start taking steps to create awareness on sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning. Creating awareness is the best way of stemming sexual harassment in schools and institutions of higher learning.
In organisations or the public sector, there are guidelines that are in place to handle sexual harassment. Disciplinary action can be taken, then again, it all depends on the organisation.
Criminal charges can be filed but it is almost impossible to prove the harasser wrong beyond reasonable doubt.
The only way is via education and awareness programmes. Please do not forget we have children in schools and institutions of higher learning and they may be victims of sexual harassment or they can be harassers.
V. MANO,
Kajang
2007 04: Single mum and children get decent meal at Soup Kitchen
The Star online. News. North. Saturday April 28, 2007
By SIRA HABIBU
DIVORCEE Norshafilla Osman, 38, will take a sampan ride with her two children from their home in Kampung Seberang Nonya to enjoy free lunch at Soup Kitchen in Jalan Putra, Alor Star, Kedah.
She will pay 20 sen for each person but the trip is worthwhile as they can have a decent meal for the day.
Norshafilla, who is jobless, will take her two sons Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar, 12, and Muhammad Iqllas Firddauz, nine, to the place or the nearby Masjid Nagore whenever they are hungry.
The three are among the poor and the downtrodden who throng Soup Kitchen where free lunches are served from 11.30am to 2.30pm from Sundays to Thursdays.
Norshafilla said when she did not have the money, they would walk for 2km to come and eat there.
Muhammad Tauhiq is not attending school because his mother could not enroll him into a school in Kedah after he ran away from a children’s home in Kepala Batas, Penang.
“I want to be with my mother in Alor Star. I do not understand why I could not go to school in Kedah. I wish I can sit for UPSR this year,” he said
Muhammad Tauhiq said he escaped from the children’s home in November last year on a bicycle, claiming that the senior sisters bullied him.
However, he was stopped by policemen along the North South Highway near the Sungai Petani Utara toll plaza before he was brought back to his mother.
Muhammad Tauhiq claimed that his brothers, aged six, 13 and 15, were victims of child abuse.
Norshafilla said she had to surrender her children to the Welfare Department because she could not afford to take care of them.
“But now I want them back. I do not want them to suffer anymore. They may be hungry when they are with me, but at least they are happy,” she said.
By SIRA HABIBU
DIVORCEE Norshafilla Osman, 38, will take a sampan ride with her two children from their home in Kampung Seberang Nonya to enjoy free lunch at Soup Kitchen in Jalan Putra, Alor Star, Kedah.
She will pay 20 sen for each person but the trip is worthwhile as they can have a decent meal for the day.
Norshafilla, who is jobless, will take her two sons Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar, 12, and Muhammad Iqllas Firddauz, nine, to the place or the nearby Masjid Nagore whenever they are hungry.
The three are among the poor and the downtrodden who throng Soup Kitchen where free lunches are served from 11.30am to 2.30pm from Sundays to Thursdays.
Norshafilla said when she did not have the money, they would walk for 2km to come and eat there.
Muhammad Tauhiq is not attending school because his mother could not enroll him into a school in Kedah after he ran away from a children’s home in Kepala Batas, Penang.
“I want to be with my mother in Alor Star. I do not understand why I could not go to school in Kedah. I wish I can sit for UPSR this year,” he said
Muhammad Tauhiq said he escaped from the children’s home in November last year on a bicycle, claiming that the senior sisters bullied him.
However, he was stopped by policemen along the North South Highway near the Sungai Petani Utara toll plaza before he was brought back to his mother.
Muhammad Tauhiq claimed that his brothers, aged six, 13 and 15, were victims of child abuse.
Norshafilla said she had to surrender her children to the Welfare Department because she could not afford to take care of them.
“But now I want them back. I do not want them to suffer anymore. They may be hungry when they are with me, but at least they are happy,” she said.
2007 04: No time to waste when tackling child abuse
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday April 22, 2007
TOKYO: At this very moment, somewhere in this country, there will be children who are being abused at home, but who are unable to get help. The use of force by authorities may be necessary to save a child’s life.
A supra partisan group of lawmakers has drafted a bill to revise the Child Abuse Prevention Law. The revision bill will be submitted to the Diet during the current ordinary session and is expected to pass the Diet in May.
The main objective of the revision is to enhance the power of children’s consultation centres.
Under the proposed changes, if parents are suspected of abusing a child and fail to acquiesce to a voluntary search or to report to the authorities when asked to do so, a prefectural governor would be able to obtain a court warrant allowing officials from a children’s consultation centre to enter the house in question. Police officers would accompany representatives of the centre.
These envisioned powers are surely only natural for an administrative body, meaning that the changes are already too late.
During debate over a previous revision of the law in 2004, the argument was proffered that police and children’s consultation centres should have greater powers to enter homes. However, such proposals were dropped after the opposition bloc objected to what it said would be a violation of human rights.
But since the earlier revision, many tragic cases have surfaced of children being abused.
One incident that stands out was in May of last year, when a three-year-old boy was starved to death. The boy’s parents locked the door to their house and refused to allow officials from a children’s consultation centre to enter.
The current law meant centre staff did not have the power to take the boy into protective custody.
In response to this tragedy, the National Police Agency sent a notice to police forces across the country advising them to take advantage of a clause in the law covering police duties that says officers are allowed to enter a building when a person is in imminent danger.
Yet establishing whether a person is in imminent danger is not easy.
The latest revision therefore allows for a search to be conducted if certain conditions are met, and proper procedures are followed.
Children’s consultation centres would take the lead in such a search under the envisioned changes, with police empowered to extend support to the centre.
When necessary, police should take the lead in any search.
Another proposal is to allow children’s consultation centres to issue an order to the parents of a child placed in protective custody at a welfare facility, under the authority of the governor, not to come near the child in an effort to take it back. The revision envisages making violation of the order a criminal offence.
The revision bill also stipulates that children’s consultation centres and municipal governments are obliged to check on the well-being of a child if they receive information of possible child abuse.
With these increased powers will come obligations on administrative bodies to fulfil their duties.
In 2006, 59 children died in their homes as a result of child abuse. There is therefore no time to waste in tackling this issue.
TOKYO: At this very moment, somewhere in this country, there will be children who are being abused at home, but who are unable to get help. The use of force by authorities may be necessary to save a child’s life.
A supra partisan group of lawmakers has drafted a bill to revise the Child Abuse Prevention Law. The revision bill will be submitted to the Diet during the current ordinary session and is expected to pass the Diet in May.
The main objective of the revision is to enhance the power of children’s consultation centres.
Under the proposed changes, if parents are suspected of abusing a child and fail to acquiesce to a voluntary search or to report to the authorities when asked to do so, a prefectural governor would be able to obtain a court warrant allowing officials from a children’s consultation centre to enter the house in question. Police officers would accompany representatives of the centre.
These envisioned powers are surely only natural for an administrative body, meaning that the changes are already too late.
During debate over a previous revision of the law in 2004, the argument was proffered that police and children’s consultation centres should have greater powers to enter homes. However, such proposals were dropped after the opposition bloc objected to what it said would be a violation of human rights.
But since the earlier revision, many tragic cases have surfaced of children being abused.
One incident that stands out was in May of last year, when a three-year-old boy was starved to death. The boy’s parents locked the door to their house and refused to allow officials from a children’s consultation centre to enter.
The current law meant centre staff did not have the power to take the boy into protective custody.
In response to this tragedy, the National Police Agency sent a notice to police forces across the country advising them to take advantage of a clause in the law covering police duties that says officers are allowed to enter a building when a person is in imminent danger.
Yet establishing whether a person is in imminent danger is not easy.
The latest revision therefore allows for a search to be conducted if certain conditions are met, and proper procedures are followed.
Children’s consultation centres would take the lead in such a search under the envisioned changes, with police empowered to extend support to the centre.
When necessary, police should take the lead in any search.
Another proposal is to allow children’s consultation centres to issue an order to the parents of a child placed in protective custody at a welfare facility, under the authority of the governor, not to come near the child in an effort to take it back. The revision envisages making violation of the order a criminal offence.
The revision bill also stipulates that children’s consultation centres and municipal governments are obliged to check on the well-being of a child if they receive information of possible child abuse.
With these increased powers will come obligations on administrative bodies to fulfil their duties.
In 2006, 59 children died in their homes as a result of child abuse. There is therefore no time to waste in tackling this issue.
2007 04: Stepsister ties girl to fridge
NST online. Local News. 20/4/07
GEORGE TOWN: A young girl was found bound to a refrigerator at an apartment in Lorong Perak on Wednesday night but police say she is not a victim of abuse.
The three-year-old girl was tied up by her stepsister to prevent her from climbing the window grilles, said district police chief Assistant Commissioner Azam Abdul Hamid
"The girl is a hyperactive child and her stepsister and mother decided to tie her up as they wanted to go to the clinic. We have recorded their statements following the incident."
He added that although there were bruises on the child’s legs, police had concluded that it was not a case of child abuse.
Azam said the child had since been discharged from the Penang Hospital where she was warded for observation.
Several residents alerted by the girl’s cries, were shocked to find her tied to the refrigerator when they peeped into the unit through one of the windows.
They then called the Civil Defence Department who arrived at the scene at 8.20pm.
Team members had to knock down the locked door before rescuing the child.
Azam said the child had been staying with the family for the past three months.
The three-year-old girl was found bound to a refrigerator at an apartment in Lorong Perak on Wednesday.
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Check-up confirms rescued girl a victim of child abuse
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday April 21, 2007
By BERNARD SEE
PENANG: A three-year-old girl, found bruised and tied atop a refrigerator at a flat in Perak Lane here, was a child-abuse victim.
A medical check-up showed fresh bruises and old scars caused by canings all over the child, who was rescued by the Civil Defence Department on Wednesday night.
Sources said the abuse had been going on for over a year and her twice-divorced mother's boyfriend, in his 20s, was the main suspect.
The 44-year-old mother and seven others have been questioned in connection with the case, which has been classified as abuse.
“The main suspect, a (night market) trader, will be picked up soon to assist in investigations,” a source said.
The young girl has been admitted to the Penang Hospital’s paediatric ward for observation.
She is now under the care of the state Welfare Department.
A concerned neighbour had called the Civil Defence Department after hearing the girl crying non-stop for more than 10 minutes at the seventh-floor flat.
She was tied atop the 1.5m refrigerator with a nylon string. The door of the flat door had to be kicked open in order to reach her.
The mother and the boyfriend had gone out and left her alone.
By BERNARD SEE
PENANG: A three-year-old girl, found bruised and tied atop a refrigerator at a flat in Perak Lane here, was a child-abuse victim.
A medical check-up showed fresh bruises and old scars caused by canings all over the child, who was rescued by the Civil Defence Department on Wednesday night.
Sources said the abuse had been going on for over a year and her twice-divorced mother's boyfriend, in his 20s, was the main suspect.
The 44-year-old mother and seven others have been questioned in connection with the case, which has been classified as abuse.
“The main suspect, a (night market) trader, will be picked up soon to assist in investigations,” a source said.
The young girl has been admitted to the Penang Hospital’s paediatric ward for observation.
She is now under the care of the state Welfare Department.
A concerned neighbour had called the Civil Defence Department after hearing the girl crying non-stop for more than 10 minutes at the seventh-floor flat.
She was tied atop the 1.5m refrigerator with a nylon string. The door of the flat door had to be kicked open in order to reach her.
The mother and the boyfriend had gone out and left her alone.
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3-year-old tied to fridge may have been abused
NST online. Local News. 21/04/07
GEORGE TOWN: New questions have been raised about the three-year-old girl found tied to a refrigerator on Wednesday .
A medical check determined that the girl could have been abused.
During the check-up at Penang Hospital, doctors found bruises on the little girl’s body which were caused by caning.
Since then, police have recorded statements from eight people, including the toddler’s 44-year-old mother, her 14-year-old step-sister, and neighbours in their Lorong Perak apartment building. Police are also looking for the mother’s boyfriend, a night market trader in his 20s. No-one has been arrested so far.
The girl is still under observation at Penang Hospital.
State Welfare Department director Mahfudz Omardi said the department will conduct its own investigation once police have completed theirs.
"According to procedure, the victim will remain in the department’s care once we receive a court order. Our investigation will centre on whether the family is able to care for her or otherwise," he said.
Neighbours heard the cries of the little girl and were shocked to find her tied to the refrigerator when they peeped into the unit through a window.
The neighbours then made a distress call to the Civil Defence Department who arrived at the scene at 8.20pm and knocked down the front door to rescue the child.
2007 04: Panel on women’s and children’s rights formed
The Star online. News. South & East. Saturday April 14, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: A special committee to handle women and children’s rights has been formed by the Sabah Law Association.
SLA president John Sikayun said the sub-committee was set up specifically to deal with cases relating to domestic violence, rape, incest, child abuse, marriage and divorce and sexual harassments at the workplace.
He said the sub-committee to be headed by Nilakrisna James would be mobilising volunteers from within the association and professionals to conduct talks and provide legal advice to local communities in both urban and rural areas of the state.
“We are aware of the serious need to educate the communities on the laws and punishments relating to criminal behaviour that result in violence and abuse of women and children.
“We must bring greater awareness on the causes and effects that lead to such crimes,” he told a press conference here.
Nilakrisna said that among the steps to be taken was to get the cooperation of education authorities, police, prisons, hospitals, welfare groups, NGOs and Suhakam to participate in awareness programmes organised by the committee. She added that educating school leavers and children in particular on behaviour deemed criminal would help prevent them from becoming abusers.
KOTA KINABALU: A special committee to handle women and children’s rights has been formed by the Sabah Law Association.
SLA president John Sikayun said the sub-committee was set up specifically to deal with cases relating to domestic violence, rape, incest, child abuse, marriage and divorce and sexual harassments at the workplace.
He said the sub-committee to be headed by Nilakrisna James would be mobilising volunteers from within the association and professionals to conduct talks and provide legal advice to local communities in both urban and rural areas of the state.
“We are aware of the serious need to educate the communities on the laws and punishments relating to criminal behaviour that result in violence and abuse of women and children.
“We must bring greater awareness on the causes and effects that lead to such crimes,” he told a press conference here.
Nilakrisna said that among the steps to be taken was to get the cooperation of education authorities, police, prisons, hospitals, welfare groups, NGOs and Suhakam to participate in awareness programmes organised by the committee. She added that educating school leavers and children in particular on behaviour deemed criminal would help prevent them from becoming abusers.
2007 03: Three-year-old boy dies of suspected child abuse
The Sun online. Local news. Fri, 09 Mar 2007
SUNGAI PETANI (March 9, 2007): A three-year-old boy believed to be a victim of child abuse, died in the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here today.
Syahimi A. Saleem died at 7.30am shortly after he was brought to the hospital.
Kuala Muda police chief ACP Hashim Ali said Syahimi had injuries on his head, several parts of his body were bruised and swollen and also burnt marks believed to be caused by lighted cigarette butts.
A post-mortem conducted by Alor Star Hospital pathologist Dr Suhani Mat Noor found the boy’s spine and some internal organs damaged, Hashim said when contacted today, reports Bernama.
He said Syahimi was brought to the hospital by his 32-year-old father and his 34-year-old girlfriend after finding the child to be not breathing when woken up at 7am.
The duo and another woman, aged 29, who is the younger sister of the father’s girlfriend, were detained to assist in investigations.
Hashim said the boy’s parents divorced some years back and that he and his elder sister, four, had come from Ipoh where they are curently living with their father, to visit his girlfriend who lives in Bedong, a week ago.
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Suspected child abuse victims warded
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday March 12, 2007
SUNGAI PETANI: Three young children have been admitted to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here after police detected signs of possible child abuse.
All three lived in the same house as Syahimi A. Saleem, three, who died of head injuries on Friday. One of them was Syahimi’s four-year-old sister who was found with bruises on her body.
The two other children, a five-month-old infant and a two-year-old, were running a fever. They are the daughters of his father’s live-in lover.
All four children lived at the girlfriend’s house in Taman Permai Bestari.
Police have obtained a court order to detain a 32-year-old contract worker and his 34-year-old girlfriend until March 19.
SUNGAI PETANI (March 9, 2007): A three-year-old boy believed to be a victim of child abuse, died in the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here today.
Syahimi A. Saleem died at 7.30am shortly after he was brought to the hospital.
Kuala Muda police chief ACP Hashim Ali said Syahimi had injuries on his head, several parts of his body were bruised and swollen and also burnt marks believed to be caused by lighted cigarette butts.
A post-mortem conducted by Alor Star Hospital pathologist Dr Suhani Mat Noor found the boy’s spine and some internal organs damaged, Hashim said when contacted today, reports Bernama.
He said Syahimi was brought to the hospital by his 32-year-old father and his 34-year-old girlfriend after finding the child to be not breathing when woken up at 7am.
The duo and another woman, aged 29, who is the younger sister of the father’s girlfriend, were detained to assist in investigations.
Hashim said the boy’s parents divorced some years back and that he and his elder sister, four, had come from Ipoh where they are curently living with their father, to visit his girlfriend who lives in Bedong, a week ago.
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Suspected child abuse victims warded
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday March 12, 2007
SUNGAI PETANI: Three young children have been admitted to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here after police detected signs of possible child abuse.
All three lived in the same house as Syahimi A. Saleem, three, who died of head injuries on Friday. One of them was Syahimi’s four-year-old sister who was found with bruises on her body.
The two other children, a five-month-old infant and a two-year-old, were running a fever. They are the daughters of his father’s live-in lover.
All four children lived at the girlfriend’s house in Taman Permai Bestari.
Police have obtained a court order to detain a 32-year-old contract worker and his 34-year-old girlfriend until March 19.
Friday 27 April 2007
2007 03: Where is the compassion for a traumatised teen?
The Star online. News. Central. Saturday March 3, 2007
Comment by K.W. MAK
THE policewoman was apparently harsh and abusive in the way she investigated the case of a 13-year-old student who claimed that a coach had molested her at a swimming pool.
“Do you know where the person lives?” the officer is said to have asked.
When the reply was a simple “no’’, the officer apparently shot back angrily: “How am I supposed to arrest the person if you don’t know where he lives?”
The victim’s older sister told me that she had a tough time protecting the young girl from more trauma. The older girl was at a loss as to what to do.
She said the officer did not brief them on the investigations procedure, but that after a few more questions, the latter called the school and gave instructions for the coach to report to the police station.
Upon hearing this, the victim apparently shrank back in fear and cried while the older sister protested the move, asking for the “confrontation’’ to be called off.
Because this was denied the siblings sought my advice.
I went to the police station and saw that the older sister looked frustrated, and the younger one, bewildered.
Not knowing the proper procedures myself, I decided to remain calm and quiet, urging the older sister to do the same – advice I received from my friends.
We tried to negotiate for a one-way mirror identification, but instead got scolded by the officer for suggesting it.
“Don’t you know we have nothing against this man?’’ the officer told the younger sister.
“You have no marks on you, no traces of semen and all that. If he doesn’t admit to the crime, we cannot detain him.
“We need him to see you so he will know you are the victim and not some other victim that he could have molested.
“And if you don’t identify him, he could turn around and sue you and sue me!”
As I continued advising the older sister, we heard the officer complaining loudly to her colleagues that “the case would not hold in court because the girl was uncooperative.’’
Then we heard her say: “How? This is the son of Datuk (followed by a name that we could not catch) and he has filed a report saying this is all slander.”
I told the older sister to ask the officer to call the coach and set a time for the meeting.
We waited for about two hours and the younger sister was getting tired and restless.
Meanwhile, the officer then handed a report that she had written to the sisters, suggesting that they both read and sign it.
This done, we left the room and decided to wait outside. I took the opportunity to seek legal advice from my friends.
We were told to wait a little longer as the coach was on his way to the station.
However, half an hour later we were told to go home as the coach might not come at all.
He was apparently making conflicting statements about his whereabouts.
The ordeal lasted some three hours for me, but for the sisters, it was much longer.
The siblings had first lodged a police report at 1pm at the Bandar Sunway police station before they were instructed to see an investigating officer at the Subang Jaya district police headquarters at 3.30pm.
What angers me is the way the police officer conducted the entire investigation.
The 13-year-old’s feelings were not taken into account.
I am not trying to determine whether a crime has been committed, but child protection laws state that a child’s interests must come first.
And yet, here’s a case where I witnessed that even the people concerned with supporting her do not seem to be aware of this.
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Victim-protection a must in child abuse cases
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday March 4, 2007
I must say that I was depressed after reading the report in yesterday's Star Metro headlined “Where is the compassion for a traumatised teen?” of the ordeal of a 13-year-old child victim of abuse.
To think that our country has come a long way in terms of progress and development and that economically the country is doing well.
Yet our handling of victims is so backward and pathetic.
After all these years and millions spent on The Victim Support programme, we can't even get past reporting the matter. Then what's the use of having all the good-sounding programmes when it is utterly useless in our present day system.
It plainly shows how much our authorities are lacking in the knowledge where it concerns the handling of a victim of abuse professionally
According to the report it concerns a girl of 13 years of age. She immediately comes under the provision and protection as provided for in the Child Act 2001.
Section 18 of the Act says that “The Protector,” in this case the police officer, is duty-bound to provide such protection to the victim. Therefore the first reaction is to protect rather then cast doubt or make statements.
The Act makes it compulsory for the mandatory investigation of the alleged abuse.
I am drawn to conclude that persons concerned are not aware of the requirement or simply cannot be bothered. Now why is this?
Why then have such a wonderfully drawn up Child Act when we can't even apply the requirements? Are we not in breach of the provision for which legal action must be taken to address the issue?
Time and again we have been told that when it comes to a victim of child abuse the best interest of the child is paramount.
This means being sensitive to the trauma the child is experiencing and not just being interested in merely disposing of the case.
The present case is just the tip of the iceberg.
How long more are we going to have this form of unprofessional handling of victims who cry for help?
James Nayagam,
Executive Director,
Shelter Home.
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When the police ignore due process
The Star online. News. Central. Monday March 5, 2007
By K.W. MAK
THE Child Act 2001 was legislated to protect the rights of a child; that no one should violate it. Yet, due process was not followed in the case of a 13-year-old girl who tried to make a police report after alleging that her swimming instructor molested her at a swimming pool.
The policewoman who handled the girl’s report (reported in StarMetro on March 3) was apparently harsh and did not brief the girl, and her older sister who accompanied her, on the investigation procedures.
”When a child is molested, there is already initial trauma and shock. Hence, the interview process must be sensitively carried out,” said Shelter Home for Children executive director James Nayagam.
The child will then have to identify the person responsible for the alleged abuse, relate everything that has happened and undergo physical and psychological medical examination.
The Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team at the hospital should have a psychiatrist, a paediatrician and a social worker to prepare a report on the child while a police officer prepares a police report to be presented to the director of public prosecution (DPP).
“The team comes around and forms a protective wall around the child so that the child’s testimony may be preserved.
“Evidence should be recorded by a video interview in a separate room to ensure the child’s confidentiality and that her testimony is taken down without prejudice.
“If not properly done, the way an investigation is handled, may further traumatise an already traumatised child,” said Nayagam, a trained counsellor who has been handling child abuse and neglect cases for the past 25 years.
“It is not for anyone but the courts to decide whether the testimony of a child is admissible as evidence and for trial to take place, even for cases where there are no witnesses.
“The officer is duty-bound to investigate and present the findings to the DPP and let them decide on the case,” he said. However, the steps mentioned were not practised.
Nayagam said he had witnessed countless times untrained police officers interviewing child victims in an environment that did not shield the child from further trauma.
Eventually, these investigations went no further because of the belief that no charges could be brought about without any physical evidence or witnesses, he said.
“Our country has spent millions setting up a witness support scheme for children, but they are useless if I cannot get a police officer to get an investigation going,” said Nayagam.
Former assistant director of the Social Welfare Department, Vijayakumari Pillai, who is still actively involved in child protection work in the Petaling District welfare committee, said the older sister did the right thing by filing a report with the police.
“The public often don’t want to voice out such cases because they are afraid of a backlash and criticism, but at least the alleged perpetrator would have been called up and knows the police are investigating,” said Pillai.
“Even if there is a lack of evidence, it is not up to the police officer to decide if the case should be investigated.”
Pillai said the Social Welfare Department had been conducting training for the past 20 years and had always included the police because they were part of the system a child had to go through in such cases.
“We give the police training, but they still make the same mistakes and forget their training. The relevant agency should take stock and rectify this,” he added.
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There are still laws to abide by for now
The Star online. News. Central. Tuesday March 6, 2007
By K.W. MAK
PARLIAMENT has passed a bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) where a child’s statement has to be recorded by video camera and that the recording can be used as evidence in court.
Despite the amendment, the requirement is not enforced because it has not been gazetted, a process that may take some time.
Women, Family and Community Development Ministry parliamentary secretary Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said this did not mean that there were insufficient laws at present when handling juvenile cases by the police.
“Under the CPC, when a child files a report of sexual abuse, the officer must take the child to the hospital for examination and then conduct the investigation in a separate room,” said Chew.
“When the officer carries out the investigation, she has to take into consideration the feelings of the child. Thus, it is important for the officer to be trained in handling such cases.”
Chew said the ministry was conducting courses for various government departments handling women and children cases to ensure officers were sensitive to the emotional state of the victims, but added that more training was needed.
In the meantime, children and their guardians can call the Social Welfare Department (JKM) for help if they encounter any difficulty in filing police reports. “It is the right of the child, or anyone else for that matter, to file a report,” said Chew.
“You need to make a report not only for your own benefit but to safeguard others too - if anything was to happen to someone else, action could be taken against the culprit because the police would have previous reports to refer to.
“If the victim thinks she is not being treated according to procedure, she can call Teledera at 1800 88 3040 and our officers will provide assistance.
“We have set up a separate unit to handle children’s cases,” she said.
.........................................................
Police to probe reports
The Star online. News. Central. Friday March 9, 2007
WE refer to the two articles published in The Star entitled “Where is the compassion for a traumatised teen?” (March 3) and “When the police ignore due process” (March 5) respectively.
The Subang Jaya Police headquarters will investigate the matter and if the allegations are true, we will not hesitate to take action on the officer concerned.
We will not compromise on any wrongdoing by any officer.
ACP MUHAMMMAD FUAD TALIB
Subang Jaya Chief Police Officer
........................................
Vital to report sexual abuse
The Star online. News. Central. Wednesday March 28, 2007
THE recent reporting of a traumatised teen in the newspaper has shown that there is an increased awareness of the importance of reporting sexual abuse.
The action taken by the older sibling to report a suspected case of molest demonstrates the support a family member can provide to a child who has been through such trauma.
This leads to the importance of looking at the child’s psychological well being after reporting the abuse. Children who have reported an abuse, in general, sometimes feel that they are guilty of putting someone they know into a difficult position.
They may also feel that they have caused a lot of hassle to their own family.
As they go through the whole series of investigation and questioning, they might sometimes even doubt their own feelings.
Family members can help support by reassuring the child that the abuser is at fault and the investigations are necessary to facilitate upcoming trials in court.
And all along, family members have to be sensitive to the child’s feelings of sadness, anger and disappointment.
Let the child take his or her own pace in talking about the abuse and give the child time to sort out his or her feelings and to slowly heal and move on.
Talk about the child’s courage in disclosing the abuse and affirm the act. It will also be worth monitoring the child’s behaviour and feelings - if traumatic experiences are not managed or resolved, it can lead to serious conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders.
Be aware of the warning signs of these conditions and do seek professional help such as counselling and therapy to support the child in healing.
Lee Kuan Shin
Clinical psychologist
Comment by K.W. MAK
THE policewoman was apparently harsh and abusive in the way she investigated the case of a 13-year-old student who claimed that a coach had molested her at a swimming pool.
“Do you know where the person lives?” the officer is said to have asked.
When the reply was a simple “no’’, the officer apparently shot back angrily: “How am I supposed to arrest the person if you don’t know where he lives?”
The victim’s older sister told me that she had a tough time protecting the young girl from more trauma. The older girl was at a loss as to what to do.
She said the officer did not brief them on the investigations procedure, but that after a few more questions, the latter called the school and gave instructions for the coach to report to the police station.
Upon hearing this, the victim apparently shrank back in fear and cried while the older sister protested the move, asking for the “confrontation’’ to be called off.
Because this was denied the siblings sought my advice.
I went to the police station and saw that the older sister looked frustrated, and the younger one, bewildered.
Not knowing the proper procedures myself, I decided to remain calm and quiet, urging the older sister to do the same – advice I received from my friends.
We tried to negotiate for a one-way mirror identification, but instead got scolded by the officer for suggesting it.
“Don’t you know we have nothing against this man?’’ the officer told the younger sister.
“You have no marks on you, no traces of semen and all that. If he doesn’t admit to the crime, we cannot detain him.
“We need him to see you so he will know you are the victim and not some other victim that he could have molested.
“And if you don’t identify him, he could turn around and sue you and sue me!”
As I continued advising the older sister, we heard the officer complaining loudly to her colleagues that “the case would not hold in court because the girl was uncooperative.’’
Then we heard her say: “How? This is the son of Datuk (followed by a name that we could not catch) and he has filed a report saying this is all slander.”
I told the older sister to ask the officer to call the coach and set a time for the meeting.
We waited for about two hours and the younger sister was getting tired and restless.
Meanwhile, the officer then handed a report that she had written to the sisters, suggesting that they both read and sign it.
This done, we left the room and decided to wait outside. I took the opportunity to seek legal advice from my friends.
We were told to wait a little longer as the coach was on his way to the station.
However, half an hour later we were told to go home as the coach might not come at all.
He was apparently making conflicting statements about his whereabouts.
The ordeal lasted some three hours for me, but for the sisters, it was much longer.
The siblings had first lodged a police report at 1pm at the Bandar Sunway police station before they were instructed to see an investigating officer at the Subang Jaya district police headquarters at 3.30pm.
What angers me is the way the police officer conducted the entire investigation.
The 13-year-old’s feelings were not taken into account.
I am not trying to determine whether a crime has been committed, but child protection laws state that a child’s interests must come first.
And yet, here’s a case where I witnessed that even the people concerned with supporting her do not seem to be aware of this.
..................................................
Victim-protection a must in child abuse cases
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday March 4, 2007
I must say that I was depressed after reading the report in yesterday's Star Metro headlined “Where is the compassion for a traumatised teen?” of the ordeal of a 13-year-old child victim of abuse.
To think that our country has come a long way in terms of progress and development and that economically the country is doing well.
Yet our handling of victims is so backward and pathetic.
After all these years and millions spent on The Victim Support programme, we can't even get past reporting the matter. Then what's the use of having all the good-sounding programmes when it is utterly useless in our present day system.
It plainly shows how much our authorities are lacking in the knowledge where it concerns the handling of a victim of abuse professionally
According to the report it concerns a girl of 13 years of age. She immediately comes under the provision and protection as provided for in the Child Act 2001.
Section 18 of the Act says that “The Protector,” in this case the police officer, is duty-bound to provide such protection to the victim. Therefore the first reaction is to protect rather then cast doubt or make statements.
The Act makes it compulsory for the mandatory investigation of the alleged abuse.
I am drawn to conclude that persons concerned are not aware of the requirement or simply cannot be bothered. Now why is this?
Why then have such a wonderfully drawn up Child Act when we can't even apply the requirements? Are we not in breach of the provision for which legal action must be taken to address the issue?
Time and again we have been told that when it comes to a victim of child abuse the best interest of the child is paramount.
This means being sensitive to the trauma the child is experiencing and not just being interested in merely disposing of the case.
The present case is just the tip of the iceberg.
How long more are we going to have this form of unprofessional handling of victims who cry for help?
James Nayagam,
Executive Director,
Shelter Home.
...........................................
When the police ignore due process
The Star online. News. Central. Monday March 5, 2007
By K.W. MAK
THE Child Act 2001 was legislated to protect the rights of a child; that no one should violate it. Yet, due process was not followed in the case of a 13-year-old girl who tried to make a police report after alleging that her swimming instructor molested her at a swimming pool.
The policewoman who handled the girl’s report (reported in StarMetro on March 3) was apparently harsh and did not brief the girl, and her older sister who accompanied her, on the investigation procedures.
”When a child is molested, there is already initial trauma and shock. Hence, the interview process must be sensitively carried out,” said Shelter Home for Children executive director James Nayagam.
The child will then have to identify the person responsible for the alleged abuse, relate everything that has happened and undergo physical and psychological medical examination.
The Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team at the hospital should have a psychiatrist, a paediatrician and a social worker to prepare a report on the child while a police officer prepares a police report to be presented to the director of public prosecution (DPP).
“The team comes around and forms a protective wall around the child so that the child’s testimony may be preserved.
“Evidence should be recorded by a video interview in a separate room to ensure the child’s confidentiality and that her testimony is taken down without prejudice.
“If not properly done, the way an investigation is handled, may further traumatise an already traumatised child,” said Nayagam, a trained counsellor who has been handling child abuse and neglect cases for the past 25 years.
“It is not for anyone but the courts to decide whether the testimony of a child is admissible as evidence and for trial to take place, even for cases where there are no witnesses.
“The officer is duty-bound to investigate and present the findings to the DPP and let them decide on the case,” he said. However, the steps mentioned were not practised.
Nayagam said he had witnessed countless times untrained police officers interviewing child victims in an environment that did not shield the child from further trauma.
Eventually, these investigations went no further because of the belief that no charges could be brought about without any physical evidence or witnesses, he said.
“Our country has spent millions setting up a witness support scheme for children, but they are useless if I cannot get a police officer to get an investigation going,” said Nayagam.
Former assistant director of the Social Welfare Department, Vijayakumari Pillai, who is still actively involved in child protection work in the Petaling District welfare committee, said the older sister did the right thing by filing a report with the police.
“The public often don’t want to voice out such cases because they are afraid of a backlash and criticism, but at least the alleged perpetrator would have been called up and knows the police are investigating,” said Pillai.
“Even if there is a lack of evidence, it is not up to the police officer to decide if the case should be investigated.”
Pillai said the Social Welfare Department had been conducting training for the past 20 years and had always included the police because they were part of the system a child had to go through in such cases.
“We give the police training, but they still make the same mistakes and forget their training. The relevant agency should take stock and rectify this,” he added.
..................................................
There are still laws to abide by for now
The Star online. News. Central. Tuesday March 6, 2007
By K.W. MAK
PARLIAMENT has passed a bill to amend the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) where a child’s statement has to be recorded by video camera and that the recording can be used as evidence in court.
Despite the amendment, the requirement is not enforced because it has not been gazetted, a process that may take some time.
Women, Family and Community Development Ministry parliamentary secretary Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said this did not mean that there were insufficient laws at present when handling juvenile cases by the police.
“Under the CPC, when a child files a report of sexual abuse, the officer must take the child to the hospital for examination and then conduct the investigation in a separate room,” said Chew.
“When the officer carries out the investigation, she has to take into consideration the feelings of the child. Thus, it is important for the officer to be trained in handling such cases.”
Chew said the ministry was conducting courses for various government departments handling women and children cases to ensure officers were sensitive to the emotional state of the victims, but added that more training was needed.
In the meantime, children and their guardians can call the Social Welfare Department (JKM) for help if they encounter any difficulty in filing police reports. “It is the right of the child, or anyone else for that matter, to file a report,” said Chew.
“You need to make a report not only for your own benefit but to safeguard others too - if anything was to happen to someone else, action could be taken against the culprit because the police would have previous reports to refer to.
“If the victim thinks she is not being treated according to procedure, she can call Teledera at 1800 88 3040 and our officers will provide assistance.
“We have set up a separate unit to handle children’s cases,” she said.
.........................................................
Police to probe reports
The Star online. News. Central. Friday March 9, 2007
WE refer to the two articles published in The Star entitled “Where is the compassion for a traumatised teen?” (March 3) and “When the police ignore due process” (March 5) respectively.
The Subang Jaya Police headquarters will investigate the matter and if the allegations are true, we will not hesitate to take action on the officer concerned.
We will not compromise on any wrongdoing by any officer.
ACP MUHAMMMAD FUAD TALIB
Subang Jaya Chief Police Officer
........................................
Vital to report sexual abuse
The Star online. News. Central. Wednesday March 28, 2007
THE recent reporting of a traumatised teen in the newspaper has shown that there is an increased awareness of the importance of reporting sexual abuse.
The action taken by the older sibling to report a suspected case of molest demonstrates the support a family member can provide to a child who has been through such trauma.
This leads to the importance of looking at the child’s psychological well being after reporting the abuse. Children who have reported an abuse, in general, sometimes feel that they are guilty of putting someone they know into a difficult position.
They may also feel that they have caused a lot of hassle to their own family.
As they go through the whole series of investigation and questioning, they might sometimes even doubt their own feelings.
Family members can help support by reassuring the child that the abuser is at fault and the investigations are necessary to facilitate upcoming trials in court.
And all along, family members have to be sensitive to the child’s feelings of sadness, anger and disappointment.
Let the child take his or her own pace in talking about the abuse and give the child time to sort out his or her feelings and to slowly heal and move on.
Talk about the child’s courage in disclosing the abuse and affirm the act. It will also be worth monitoring the child’s behaviour and feelings - if traumatic experiences are not managed or resolved, it can lead to serious conditions such as depression, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders.
Be aware of the warning signs of these conditions and do seek professional help such as counselling and therapy to support the child in healing.
Lee Kuan Shin
Clinical psychologist
2007 02: No access to their kids’ love
The Star online. News. Opinion. Wednesday February 28, 2007
A FESTIVE season is a time to be merry with our loved ones.
But in the midst of all this is a small group that suffers in silence.
They are not physically or mentally challenged, but parents who have been alienated from their children. Their children are not dead. They are very much alive, living with one parent who has been separated from the other.
Can you imagine the lingering pain and agony of an alienated parent?
The parent who has limited or no access and who can only watch from afar and observe his or her child being cajoled to hate him or her as result of an ugly divorce.
Who actually suffers? It is the child. The innocent and unknowing child is subjected to constant and systematic brainwashing followed by wilful manipulation. The purpose: to destroy a loving and warm relationship they once shared with both parents.
Parental alienation and hostile parenting deprives a child of his right to be loved and to show love to both parents.
This selfish, vindictive and malicious action must be exposed to everyone so that judges, police officers, lawyers, family, friends and society is aware this is happening. A child being traumatised is a form of child abuse.
Children affected by parental alienation suffer intellectually, physically and have deep-rooted life-long emotional problems.
Poor performance in studies, juvenile crime and mental health with the propensity for unstable adulthood are the consequences that bear immeasurable costs.
The Pemaliks, a group that pioneered Pertubuhan Mencegah Alienasi Keibubapaan (Association for the Prevention of Parental Alienation) Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor seeks to create awareness on the negative effects of Parental Alienation.
We aspire to change the mindset of those responsible to carefully weigh their decisions on child custody matters and take into consideration the effects of parental alienation seriously.
Just as the child’s interest and well-being is of paramount importance, so too is the need for undivided love and support from both mother and father.
FRANCIS YEOH CL,
Hon Secretary,
Pertubuhan Mencegah Alienasi Keibubapaan Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor.
.................................................
Fathers should also be given fair and equal treatment
The Star online. News. Opinion. Monday March 5, 2007
FRANCIS Yeoh CL’s letter to the editor (The Star, Feb 28) is a plea that has been highlighted repeatedly but continues to be ignored and treated with apathy by the powers to be.
I have been in a similar situation for more than five years and have undergone the immense suffering of not having proper access to my children while continuing to fight an expensive but losing legal battle.
Occasionally a family court judge may be sympathetic but a wily lawyer and ex-wife may coerce the children to describe in court how bad a father you are.
The fact that you have been unstinting in your efforts to gain even minimum access to your children for years or that you pay thousands of ringgit in maintenance fees every month without fail does not make a difference.
The sad fact is that it would seem to be tolerated by society and very often the perpetrator of this kind of mental child abuse would seem to be mothers themselves.
Their thirst for revenge - their overpowering anger towards their children’s father that never lessens with the passing of time - blinds them to the mental anguish suffered by their children.
I am only allowed a few words from a safe distance over a locked gate once every week and I have not hugged nor held the hands of my children for many years now.
I can see the conflicting emotions and sadness in their eyes but I am powerless.
The harsh reality is that the Government, Judiciary, NGOs etc are all intent on fighting for and protecting the rights of women and while there is nothing wrong with this, fathers should also be given fair and equal treatment by them.
SAD DAD,
Kuala Lumpur.
A FESTIVE season is a time to be merry with our loved ones.
But in the midst of all this is a small group that suffers in silence.
They are not physically or mentally challenged, but parents who have been alienated from their children. Their children are not dead. They are very much alive, living with one parent who has been separated from the other.
Can you imagine the lingering pain and agony of an alienated parent?
The parent who has limited or no access and who can only watch from afar and observe his or her child being cajoled to hate him or her as result of an ugly divorce.
Who actually suffers? It is the child. The innocent and unknowing child is subjected to constant and systematic brainwashing followed by wilful manipulation. The purpose: to destroy a loving and warm relationship they once shared with both parents.
Parental alienation and hostile parenting deprives a child of his right to be loved and to show love to both parents.
This selfish, vindictive and malicious action must be exposed to everyone so that judges, police officers, lawyers, family, friends and society is aware this is happening. A child being traumatised is a form of child abuse.
Children affected by parental alienation suffer intellectually, physically and have deep-rooted life-long emotional problems.
Poor performance in studies, juvenile crime and mental health with the propensity for unstable adulthood are the consequences that bear immeasurable costs.
The Pemaliks, a group that pioneered Pertubuhan Mencegah Alienasi Keibubapaan (Association for the Prevention of Parental Alienation) Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor seeks to create awareness on the negative effects of Parental Alienation.
We aspire to change the mindset of those responsible to carefully weigh their decisions on child custody matters and take into consideration the effects of parental alienation seriously.
Just as the child’s interest and well-being is of paramount importance, so too is the need for undivided love and support from both mother and father.
FRANCIS YEOH CL,
Hon Secretary,
Pertubuhan Mencegah Alienasi Keibubapaan Kuala Lumpur dan Selangor.
.................................................
Fathers should also be given fair and equal treatment
The Star online. News. Opinion. Monday March 5, 2007
FRANCIS Yeoh CL’s letter to the editor (The Star, Feb 28) is a plea that has been highlighted repeatedly but continues to be ignored and treated with apathy by the powers to be.
I have been in a similar situation for more than five years and have undergone the immense suffering of not having proper access to my children while continuing to fight an expensive but losing legal battle.
Occasionally a family court judge may be sympathetic but a wily lawyer and ex-wife may coerce the children to describe in court how bad a father you are.
The fact that you have been unstinting in your efforts to gain even minimum access to your children for years or that you pay thousands of ringgit in maintenance fees every month without fail does not make a difference.
The sad fact is that it would seem to be tolerated by society and very often the perpetrator of this kind of mental child abuse would seem to be mothers themselves.
Their thirst for revenge - their overpowering anger towards their children’s father that never lessens with the passing of time - blinds them to the mental anguish suffered by their children.
I am only allowed a few words from a safe distance over a locked gate once every week and I have not hugged nor held the hands of my children for many years now.
I can see the conflicting emotions and sadness in their eyes but I am powerless.
The harsh reality is that the Government, Judiciary, NGOs etc are all intent on fighting for and protecting the rights of women and while there is nothing wrong with this, fathers should also be given fair and equal treatment by them.
SAD DAD,
Kuala Lumpur.
2007 02: Beware of child sexual abuse, says group
The Star online. News. South & East. Wednesday February 14, 2007
By PERCY D'CRUZ
MALACCA: Child sexual abuse can happen to anyone, even your own child. An alarming statement but certainly holding true of the present time, says Penang’s Women’s Centre for Change (WCC).
Official updated statistics released through a WCC pamphlet reveal that child sex abuse makes up 25.5% of the total number of child abuse cases reported with approximately 80% of the victims being girls and 14% boys.
Compounded by these statistics is the fact that police-compiled figures note that 67.5% of incest victims are below 16 years of age.
In a joint effort to further enlighten the prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and ways of combat, Malacca’s Women In Action (WIN) and Penang’s WCC with funding from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry recently organised a seminar and workshop entitled “Child and sexual abuse”.
Aimed specifically at teachers from private and government agency-based kindergartens as well as Bachelor of Education students, a 100-strong attendance was recorded for the full-day seminar and workshop held at the Straits Meridian Hotel.
According to WIN chairperson Rachel Samuel, the principal aim of the seminar was to enlighten kindergarten teachers and minders on child sexual abuse in the community and equip relevant personnel with knowledge, insights, expertise and procedures on how they could play their part in instilling a sense of sexual safety among the young ones.
During the workshop sessions, teachers were given exercises in the mechanics of how to impart lessons on personal safety to children. The module was specially designed to focus on six-year-olds as they would be moving on to primary schools.
Participants were also briefed on the need for children to be aware and clearly understand that the private parts of their bodies cannot be touched by anyone else except for the purpose of cleansing or medical treatment. Also, children need to know that they cannot touch the private parts of their counterparts.
The modules presented were prepared by WCC with the seminar proceedings and dialogues conducted by the Penang-based non-governmental organisation led by Dr Prema Devaraj.
A follow-up on the just-concluded programme will be organised in late April and already a good number of participants have confirmed their participation.
By PERCY D'CRUZ
MALACCA: Child sexual abuse can happen to anyone, even your own child. An alarming statement but certainly holding true of the present time, says Penang’s Women’s Centre for Change (WCC).
Official updated statistics released through a WCC pamphlet reveal that child sex abuse makes up 25.5% of the total number of child abuse cases reported with approximately 80% of the victims being girls and 14% boys.
Compounded by these statistics is the fact that police-compiled figures note that 67.5% of incest victims are below 16 years of age.
In a joint effort to further enlighten the prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and ways of combat, Malacca’s Women In Action (WIN) and Penang’s WCC with funding from the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry recently organised a seminar and workshop entitled “Child and sexual abuse”.
Aimed specifically at teachers from private and government agency-based kindergartens as well as Bachelor of Education students, a 100-strong attendance was recorded for the full-day seminar and workshop held at the Straits Meridian Hotel.
According to WIN chairperson Rachel Samuel, the principal aim of the seminar was to enlighten kindergarten teachers and minders on child sexual abuse in the community and equip relevant personnel with knowledge, insights, expertise and procedures on how they could play their part in instilling a sense of sexual safety among the young ones.
During the workshop sessions, teachers were given exercises in the mechanics of how to impart lessons on personal safety to children. The module was specially designed to focus on six-year-olds as they would be moving on to primary schools.
Participants were also briefed on the need for children to be aware and clearly understand that the private parts of their bodies cannot be touched by anyone else except for the purpose of cleansing or medical treatment. Also, children need to know that they cannot touch the private parts of their counterparts.
The modules presented were prepared by WCC with the seminar proceedings and dialogues conducted by the Penang-based non-governmental organisation led by Dr Prema Devaraj.
A follow-up on the just-concluded programme will be organised in late April and already a good number of participants have confirmed their participation.
2007 01: Boy, 11, warded with serious head injuries
The Star online. News. North. Sunday January 28, 2007
SUNGAI PETANI: An 11-year-old boy whose fascination for the Internet kept him at the cyber cafe, ended up in hospital with serious head injuries after he was beaten up by his father in Tikam Batu.
The father, a petty trader, turned violent as he claimed his son’s stu-dies had deteriorated because of his obsession with the Internet.
A police spokesman said the suspect had allegedly flung, punched, slapped and kicked his son before flinging him up into the air at their home in Taman Setia Budi in Tikam Batu, about 15km from here, between 7pm and 8pm on Friday.
The boy ran away from home and sought refuge at a surau in Kampung Haji Ahmad nearby during the Maghrib prayers where some villagers found him.
The police spokesman said police from Tikam Batu were informed and went to pick up the boy from the surau.
Police from Tikam Batu police station lodged a report on the boy’s behalf and handed him over to the Kuala Muda district police Domestic Violence and Child Abuse police unit.
The spokesman said the boy had been warded at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here and would be sent to the Kuala Muda Welfare Depart-ment pending investigations.
Police have obtained a remand order on the suspect.
SUNGAI PETANI: An 11-year-old boy whose fascination for the Internet kept him at the cyber cafe, ended up in hospital with serious head injuries after he was beaten up by his father in Tikam Batu.
The father, a petty trader, turned violent as he claimed his son’s stu-dies had deteriorated because of his obsession with the Internet.
A police spokesman said the suspect had allegedly flung, punched, slapped and kicked his son before flinging him up into the air at their home in Taman Setia Budi in Tikam Batu, about 15km from here, between 7pm and 8pm on Friday.
The boy ran away from home and sought refuge at a surau in Kampung Haji Ahmad nearby during the Maghrib prayers where some villagers found him.
The police spokesman said police from Tikam Batu were informed and went to pick up the boy from the surau.
Police from Tikam Batu police station lodged a report on the boy’s behalf and handed him over to the Kuala Muda district police Domestic Violence and Child Abuse police unit.
The spokesman said the boy had been warded at Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here and would be sent to the Kuala Muda Welfare Depart-ment pending investigations.
Police have obtained a remand order on the suspect.
2006 12: Suspected child abuse
The Star online. News. North. Wednesday December 20, 2006
ALOR STAR: An 11-year-old boy suffered bruises believed to have been inflicted by his foster father on several parts of his body at their home at Persiaran Sultan Abdul Hamid, here.
The incident occurred at about 8.30pm on Monday after the boy used the telephone without permission.
It is learnt that his foster father beat him with a plastic chair and a belt.
The boy was sent to the Alor Star Hospital at about 10pm by a relative. He was reported to be in stable condition.
A police spokesman said they received a report at 5.40am yesterday.
Police have yet to call the foster father to give his statement.
ALOR STAR: An 11-year-old boy suffered bruises believed to have been inflicted by his foster father on several parts of his body at their home at Persiaran Sultan Abdul Hamid, here.
The incident occurred at about 8.30pm on Monday after the boy used the telephone without permission.
It is learnt that his foster father beat him with a plastic chair and a belt.
The boy was sent to the Alor Star Hospital at about 10pm by a relative. He was reported to be in stable condition.
A police spokesman said they received a report at 5.40am yesterday.
Police have yet to call the foster father to give his statement.
2006 11: Victim heals after journey of failed relationships
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday November 19, 2006
CASE 3
NEXT year will mark a milestone for Chow Li Fern. The 32-year-old is planning to marry her boyfriend of six years.
It wasn’t easy to reach this stage, as she had to undergo years of frustration to deal with incidents in her childhood.
She was 10 at the time and her father was suffering from nose cancer and had to stay in hospital many times. When her mother was out tending to her father, Li Fern stayed at home with her two younger brothers.
The neighbour’s son, who was three years older, made approaches to Li Fern.
He would make sure they were alone and would start molesting her. This went on for more than a year and then he started having sexual intercourse with her.
“He told me not to worry and that it would not hurt. He also said that he liked me and everybody was doing it. But it was uncomfortable,” she said.
It was only after she read a book that she realised what had happened.
“I went through a stage of denial. I believed something was very wrong with me as I wasn’t sure if he did it to others,” said Li Fern.
And she couldn’t tell her mother who had worries of her own.
She said she tried fighting with the neighbour’s son, but it just got worse. Violence was involved and her nightmare only ended when her father got better and they moved away.
In secondary school, Li Fern had many friends but there was always a distance in the relationship.
“I come from a family that preached love and trust. When someone in my life broke that trust, I was confused,” she said.
Li Fern then started having relationships with boys but they were always short-lived.
“I thought I didn’t deserve love and care. I would just quit and go into the next relationship,” said Li Fern, who has had seven boyfriends.
Her relationships gradually improved although not much intimacy was involved. But things changed when she was almost raped by a stranger.
“The incidents when I was younger came back. I felt anger and guilt. It was an intense kind of trauma and depression set in,” she said.
A car accident followed. She survived it and realised she had to do something about her life and coping skills.
“I read a lot about abuse and forgiveness and I also went to Taiwan where I attended a workshop. I met many others like me and this helped me overcome my own guilt,” she said.
Her current boyfriend also helped her.
“He didn’t ask many questions. He treated me as a normal person and not as a victim. And I told the 10-year-old me that it was not her fault,” she said.
She even met her childhood tormentor three years ago at her parents’ place.
“I was relieved to see him. I forgave him and I believe he is sorry for what he has done.
Forgiving him does not mean what he did was right. I forgave him because I don't want to suffer anymore,” said Li Fern, who is a social worker and volunteers part-time at the Lifelong Learning Organisation.
CASE 3
NEXT year will mark a milestone for Chow Li Fern. The 32-year-old is planning to marry her boyfriend of six years.
It wasn’t easy to reach this stage, as she had to undergo years of frustration to deal with incidents in her childhood.
She was 10 at the time and her father was suffering from nose cancer and had to stay in hospital many times. When her mother was out tending to her father, Li Fern stayed at home with her two younger brothers.
The neighbour’s son, who was three years older, made approaches to Li Fern.
He would make sure they were alone and would start molesting her. This went on for more than a year and then he started having sexual intercourse with her.
“He told me not to worry and that it would not hurt. He also said that he liked me and everybody was doing it. But it was uncomfortable,” she said.
It was only after she read a book that she realised what had happened.
“I went through a stage of denial. I believed something was very wrong with me as I wasn’t sure if he did it to others,” said Li Fern.
And she couldn’t tell her mother who had worries of her own.
She said she tried fighting with the neighbour’s son, but it just got worse. Violence was involved and her nightmare only ended when her father got better and they moved away.
In secondary school, Li Fern had many friends but there was always a distance in the relationship.
“I come from a family that preached love and trust. When someone in my life broke that trust, I was confused,” she said.
Li Fern then started having relationships with boys but they were always short-lived.
“I thought I didn’t deserve love and care. I would just quit and go into the next relationship,” said Li Fern, who has had seven boyfriends.
Her relationships gradually improved although not much intimacy was involved. But things changed when she was almost raped by a stranger.
“The incidents when I was younger came back. I felt anger and guilt. It was an intense kind of trauma and depression set in,” she said.
A car accident followed. She survived it and realised she had to do something about her life and coping skills.
“I read a lot about abuse and forgiveness and I also went to Taiwan where I attended a workshop. I met many others like me and this helped me overcome my own guilt,” she said.
Her current boyfriend also helped her.
“He didn’t ask many questions. He treated me as a normal person and not as a victim. And I told the 10-year-old me that it was not her fault,” she said.
She even met her childhood tormentor three years ago at her parents’ place.
“I was relieved to see him. I forgave him and I believe he is sorry for what he has done.
Forgiving him does not mean what he did was right. I forgave him because I don't want to suffer anymore,” said Li Fern, who is a social worker and volunteers part-time at the Lifelong Learning Organisation.
2006 11: When the guilty party is family
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday November 19, 2006
CASE 2
KARMI, 14, used to suffer physical abuse at the hands of her father and grandmother. She was beaten up countless times and even had chilli smeared on her face.
All that, however, would not have done as much damage to her as what her uncle tried to do when she was nine. At that time, she was alone in the car with him and they were on their way to a convenience store.
“I was not really close to him although we were on friendly terms. I was telling him about a fight with my sister where she bit me on the cheek. Suddenly, he groped my chest and asked if my sister had bitten me there," Karmi recalled.
“I didn’t expect that. My mind went blank and I said no. I saw him smirking and when we reached our destination, I ran out of the car. Afterwards, I went to my mother and told her everything that had happened.
“My mum told my father what to do but nothing happened. It was sad because my father didn’t do anything."
Fortunately, she did not see her uncle again after the incident. "But I will never forget what he tried to do to me," she said.
CASE 2
KARMI, 14, used to suffer physical abuse at the hands of her father and grandmother. She was beaten up countless times and even had chilli smeared on her face.
All that, however, would not have done as much damage to her as what her uncle tried to do when she was nine. At that time, she was alone in the car with him and they were on their way to a convenience store.
“I was not really close to him although we were on friendly terms. I was telling him about a fight with my sister where she bit me on the cheek. Suddenly, he groped my chest and asked if my sister had bitten me there," Karmi recalled.
“I didn’t expect that. My mind went blank and I said no. I saw him smirking and when we reached our destination, I ran out of the car. Afterwards, I went to my mother and told her everything that had happened.
“My mum told my father what to do but nothing happened. It was sad because my father didn’t do anything."
Fortunately, she did not see her uncle again after the incident. "But I will never forget what he tried to do to me," she said.
2006 11: Child abuse takes many forms
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday November 19, 2006
Child abuse comes in many shrouds and guises, but generally it falls into categories of physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. RASHVINJEET S. BEDI talks to some survivors of the heinous crime of child sexual abuse.
CASE 1
AS a child, Suhaila considered herself unwanted by her mother who had preferred a boy. As such, she always vented her frustrations on Suhaila.
While her father was protective of Suhaila, he often travelled overseas, leaving her vulnerable to her mother.
When she was five years old, a tutor was asked to teach Suhaila English. And so, every night when the others in her family were watching television, Suhaila would be sitting on her teacher's lap with a book in front of her.
Her teacher would slip his hand into Suhaila’s pants and fondle her private parts.
While doing this, he would threaten to kill her if she made any noise. This happened every day for eight months.
“It hurt and burned,” said Suhaila, who complained to her mother but did not get any attention.
“My mother accused me of lying. She said that I wanted to get out of the tuition. I even told other people but they said I was imagining it,” Suhaila recalled.
One day, her teacher entered her room and took off all her clothes.
“He was going to rape me. Luckily someone saw him coming into the room and banged down the door before anything happened. He was finally caught red-handed,” said Suhaila.
Her cousin too tried to lay his hands on Suhaila but she always fought back. She told the people around her, but no one believed her. It was only when she threatened to leave that her father came back to help her.
But Suhaila did not let the incidents get to her and she excelled in her studies and co-curricular
activities.
“I was a fighter. I think it was the environment that I was exposed to,” she said.
Even when her swim coach tried to fondle her breasts when she was nine, she kicked him in the crotch, she said.
At 17, her overall excellence earned her a scholarship to study in the United States. It was there, after talking to someone about her childhood, that she understood what had happened.
“I finally realised the extent of the incident, and it came like a punch to the face. I cried like a baby and was depressed for a while,” she said.
“But I never asked why those things happened to me,” said Suhaila who is now divorced and has two daughters.
“I love my life and laugh a lot. You can choose to swim or sink. I chose to swim. I don’t fear men. Life doesn’t give you second chances. I can count my blessings that something worse did not happen.”
Child abuse comes in many shrouds and guises, but generally it falls into categories of physical, psychological and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. RASHVINJEET S. BEDI talks to some survivors of the heinous crime of child sexual abuse.
CASE 1
AS a child, Suhaila considered herself unwanted by her mother who had preferred a boy. As such, she always vented her frustrations on Suhaila.
While her father was protective of Suhaila, he often travelled overseas, leaving her vulnerable to her mother.
When she was five years old, a tutor was asked to teach Suhaila English. And so, every night when the others in her family were watching television, Suhaila would be sitting on her teacher's lap with a book in front of her.
Her teacher would slip his hand into Suhaila’s pants and fondle her private parts.
While doing this, he would threaten to kill her if she made any noise. This happened every day for eight months.
“It hurt and burned,” said Suhaila, who complained to her mother but did not get any attention.
“My mother accused me of lying. She said that I wanted to get out of the tuition. I even told other people but they said I was imagining it,” Suhaila recalled.
One day, her teacher entered her room and took off all her clothes.
“He was going to rape me. Luckily someone saw him coming into the room and banged down the door before anything happened. He was finally caught red-handed,” said Suhaila.
Her cousin too tried to lay his hands on Suhaila but she always fought back. She told the people around her, but no one believed her. It was only when she threatened to leave that her father came back to help her.
But Suhaila did not let the incidents get to her and she excelled in her studies and co-curricular
activities.
“I was a fighter. I think it was the environment that I was exposed to,” she said.
Even when her swim coach tried to fondle her breasts when she was nine, she kicked him in the crotch, she said.
At 17, her overall excellence earned her a scholarship to study in the United States. It was there, after talking to someone about her childhood, that she understood what had happened.
“I finally realised the extent of the incident, and it came like a punch to the face. I cried like a baby and was depressed for a while,” she said.
“But I never asked why those things happened to me,” said Suhaila who is now divorced and has two daughters.
“I love my life and laugh a lot. You can choose to swim or sink. I chose to swim. I don’t fear men. Life doesn’t give you second chances. I can count my blessings that something worse did not happen.”
Thursday 26 April 2007
2006 11: Stepping up action to protect the kids
The Star online. News. Opinion. Sunday November 19, 2006
Today, on World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, YAM PHUI YEE and NASA MARIA ENTABAN draw attention to strategies being planned to step up the fight against child abuse in Malaysia.
Today, on World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, YAM PHUI YEE and NASA MARIA ENTABAN draw attention to strategies being planned to step up the fight against child abuse in Malaysia.
THE laws are in place, plans for child protection are underway and welfare workers are doing their jobs – yet many children are still victims of abuse.
Today, we remember the number of young persons who were given treatment they did not ask for nor deserve, and we look back at the plans and hopes announced by relevant parties to address the problem, and which have yet to be realised.
First, there is the amendment of law that will enable video recording of statements by abused children to be used in court. As present laws do not allow this, the proposed Evidence of Child Witnesses Act became the talk among child advocates three years ago.
Under this practice, which involves using video recording facilities at Child Protection Units (CPU), children are interviewed by one person instead of a group of adults (normally comprising a doctor, police personnel, welfare department officer and deputy public prosecutor). The recording would ideally replace the child in court proceedings.
This practice, which is used in countries like Britain, enables the child to give an account under a less stressful situation, often revealing information and nuances helpful to the case.
Up to Oct 2006, there have been 970 cases recorded on tape. Unfortunately, these recordings are not valid in court.
“The Act is still at the Bill stage in parliament. We don't know when it will be gazetted,” said Chief Insp Nor Riza Maishah from CPU, Kuala Lumpur.
“Some deputy public prosecutors know about (the recording) and have asked for it to study the child's character and formulate the best approach for the case,” she said.
“While investigation is important, what the child says in court determines the charge. When the child is overwhelmed by fear, he becomes speechless or misses important details. I hope this recording can be used as first oral evidence,” she added.
At present, there are three CPUs in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor respectively, and the police are also looking into setting up a unit in each state and engage officers who can speak the local tongue.
From the 10 pioneers who attended training in 2003, there are now more than 50 officers who are qualified to be interviewers and technicians when more CPUs are set up.
“(When the law is gazetted,) the Royal Malaysian Police dah cukup bersedia dah (really prepared),” said Chief Insp Nor Riza.
Secondly, a register for children who need protection was proposed some time ago but there has yet to be a proper register that keeps tab of cases and which is easily retrievable.
Without such a facility, repeated cases could go unnoticed and, worse, no one would know the actual figure of child abuse cases in the country.
Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Sham Kasim who heads the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (Scan) team said that in a severe abuse case, it is often a repeated one but in the absence of a tracking system, it is not discovered when the case is reported at a different location.
A spokesperson for the Social Welfare Department (JKM) revealed that the number of child abuse cases reported with the police, hospital and its department does not tally. JKM, whose officers act as a protector for abused children, is the ideal point for this centralised registry.
“The police do not hand over their reports to us if they don't need our assistance. The cases should still come to us, even if the abused child has died, because there is a danger of the perpetrator abusing other children in the family,” the spokesperson said.
Other instances of cases not being brought to JKM is when the child goes back home to the abuser or when the child dies as a result of the abuse.
With about 1,000 cases reported to JKM annually, a well-equipped resource centre and a consistent way of documenting the data are needed.
“There are medical-legal issues when it comes to writing down who the perpetrator is (prior charge),” said the source.
Also, it has to be a well thought-out system since a typo error on a person’s name or change of address could lead to a case being undetected.
If the responsibility of defending abused children lies on the shoulders of JKM alone, the battle is a frustrating one. Thus, it is encouraging members of the public to become volunteers with its Child Protection Team (CPT), which cares for and protects the children. It also provides activity centres for children to go to.
“The role of the teams is to be the eyes and ears of JKM. So far they are effective – their programmes include motivational seminars, campaigns, and counselling sessions,” the JKM spokesperson said.
What is required of the volunteers is that they must be from the area and are able to blend in and approach the victim and the family. The work calls for commitment, not just lip service or short-lived passion.
“It takes up too much time. There are just a few doing everything – organising talks for parents, programmes for kids, taking them for trips – and they are all volunteers,” said Vijayakumari Pillai, who used to serve in a CPT.
“It needs very committed volunteers. Some volunteers take up a case, and after they know how it works they drop out.” Tackling child abuse does involve a committed and concerted effort at all levels.
Today, we remember the number of young persons who were given treatment they did not ask for nor deserve, and we look back at the plans and hopes announced by relevant parties to address the problem, and which have yet to be realised.
First, there is the amendment of law that will enable video recording of statements by abused children to be used in court. As present laws do not allow this, the proposed Evidence of Child Witnesses Act became the talk among child advocates three years ago.
Under this practice, which involves using video recording facilities at Child Protection Units (CPU), children are interviewed by one person instead of a group of adults (normally comprising a doctor, police personnel, welfare department officer and deputy public prosecutor). The recording would ideally replace the child in court proceedings.
This practice, which is used in countries like Britain, enables the child to give an account under a less stressful situation, often revealing information and nuances helpful to the case.
Up to Oct 2006, there have been 970 cases recorded on tape. Unfortunately, these recordings are not valid in court.
“The Act is still at the Bill stage in parliament. We don't know when it will be gazetted,” said Chief Insp Nor Riza Maishah from CPU, Kuala Lumpur.
“Some deputy public prosecutors know about (the recording) and have asked for it to study the child's character and formulate the best approach for the case,” she said.
“While investigation is important, what the child says in court determines the charge. When the child is overwhelmed by fear, he becomes speechless or misses important details. I hope this recording can be used as first oral evidence,” she added.
At present, there are three CPUs in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor respectively, and the police are also looking into setting up a unit in each state and engage officers who can speak the local tongue.
From the 10 pioneers who attended training in 2003, there are now more than 50 officers who are qualified to be interviewers and technicians when more CPUs are set up.
“(When the law is gazetted,) the Royal Malaysian Police dah cukup bersedia dah (really prepared),” said Chief Insp Nor Riza.
Secondly, a register for children who need protection was proposed some time ago but there has yet to be a proper register that keeps tab of cases and which is easily retrievable.
Without such a facility, repeated cases could go unnoticed and, worse, no one would know the actual figure of child abuse cases in the country.
Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Sham Kasim who heads the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (Scan) team said that in a severe abuse case, it is often a repeated one but in the absence of a tracking system, it is not discovered when the case is reported at a different location.
A spokesperson for the Social Welfare Department (JKM) revealed that the number of child abuse cases reported with the police, hospital and its department does not tally. JKM, whose officers act as a protector for abused children, is the ideal point for this centralised registry.
“The police do not hand over their reports to us if they don't need our assistance. The cases should still come to us, even if the abused child has died, because there is a danger of the perpetrator abusing other children in the family,” the spokesperson said.
Other instances of cases not being brought to JKM is when the child goes back home to the abuser or when the child dies as a result of the abuse.
With about 1,000 cases reported to JKM annually, a well-equipped resource centre and a consistent way of documenting the data are needed.
“There are medical-legal issues when it comes to writing down who the perpetrator is (prior charge),” said the source.
Also, it has to be a well thought-out system since a typo error on a person’s name or change of address could lead to a case being undetected.
If the responsibility of defending abused children lies on the shoulders of JKM alone, the battle is a frustrating one. Thus, it is encouraging members of the public to become volunteers with its Child Protection Team (CPT), which cares for and protects the children. It also provides activity centres for children to go to.
“The role of the teams is to be the eyes and ears of JKM. So far they are effective – their programmes include motivational seminars, campaigns, and counselling sessions,” the JKM spokesperson said.
What is required of the volunteers is that they must be from the area and are able to blend in and approach the victim and the family. The work calls for commitment, not just lip service or short-lived passion.
“It takes up too much time. There are just a few doing everything – organising talks for parents, programmes for kids, taking them for trips – and they are all volunteers,” said Vijayakumari Pillai, who used to serve in a CPT.
“It needs very committed volunteers. Some volunteers take up a case, and after they know how it works they drop out.” Tackling child abuse does involve a committed and concerted effort at all levels.
Vijayakumari: ‘CPT needs very committed volunteers’
2006 11: Child activist on family laws
The Star online. News. Opinion. Monday November 6, 2006
During a recent visit, retired judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss talked to SHAILA KOSHY about child laws, how the British legal system handles marital disputes among immigrant families and the lifetime anonymity she ordered for the two boys who killed toddler Jamie Bulger.
IT would be an understatement to say that Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss cares about children.
“I feel passionately about children being removed from their homes.
“I care more about children removed from the home, their school, their friends, their own bedroom, their own toys, and suddenly yanked into another country by a parent – mother or father – who chooses to leave without either of the consent of the other parent or a court order.
“That is wrong and it’s unjust to the child but it’s done by parents.”
“I care more about children removed from the home, their school, their friends, their own bedroom, their own toys, and suddenly yanked into another country by a parent – mother or father – who chooses to leave without either of the consent of the other parent or a court order.
“That is wrong and it’s unjust to the child but it’s done by parents.”
We were talking about child abduction and transnational jurisdiction in our “global village” when Lady Butler-Sloss, the former President of the Family Division in England, suddenly made this impassioned speech.
As she noted: “In a global village, it is important that children should be able to move freely between countries and to be able to visit the countries of each of their parents and visit relatives and learn the culture.”
Earlier in her public lecture on Current Developments in Family Law, Lady Butler-Sloss had stressed the importance of closer ties between countries that had and had not signed The Hague Convention on Child Abduction.
Touching on the two meetings in Malta between the two groups of countries, she said she was pleased that 21 countries, including eight Islamic countries, with diverse family laws and including eight Islamic countries had agreed on fundamental principles of family law in relation to the wrongful removal or retention of children across transnational boundaries.
Retired in 2005, Lady Butler-Sloss, is a Bencher of the Inner Temple in London and was in Malaysia for the launch of the Malaysian Inner Temple Alumni on Sept 15 and to give a lecture, organised by the Asean Law Association and Inner Temple’s first international alumni, the next day.
She is very firm – she refused to take any questions on her appointment as coroner for the inquest into the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales – but is warm at the same time.
Lady Butler-Sloss has a wry sense of humour and you get the feeling that if you had to appear before her, as long as you knew your stuff, she wouldn’t have you for breakfast.
Talking about parental alienation, recognised as a syndrome in America but not Britain, and whether the mother – the guilty party in many instances – needed psychiatric evaluation, she said: “We don’t think the mother needs a psychiatrist; what she needs is a kick up the pants. This is an emotional problem, not a legal problem.”
With more foreigners moving to Britain and since a lot of their family issues relate to culture and religion, has British family law been able to cope or does Parliament expect migrants to submit to the laws of their new home?
“The present president of the Family Division, in a lecture he gave at Belfast, is aware of the cultural differences among people who come to the UK,” Lady Butler-Sloss replied.
“An example he gives is how grandmothers are often the primary carers in African countries. And so we have to recognise cultural differences.
“But if people choose to live in England, the basic English law is the one that should apply, although we will be sympathetic to cultural differences which are acceptable to everybody in that group.”
Lady Butler-Sloss is no stranger to controversy; she was a favourite target for Fathers 4 Justice, a support group for fathers who claimed she was sexist. One decision that caught the attention of the media here in 2001 was her order granting lifetime anonymity for Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who had been convicted of the killing of two-year-old Jamie Bulger in 1993.
She explained: “It was a shocking murder but they were 10. They were sentenced to life but the tariff (time they served) was eight years’ jail. That meant they would come out before going into an adult prison.
“Both had clearly repented and had had intensive help from psychiatrists and so on.
“They were scared stiff about being let out. There were vigilante groups out there saying openly they would kill the boys if they could find them and I had very strong evidence (for that).
Earlier in her public lecture on Current Developments in Family Law, Lady Butler-Sloss had stressed the importance of closer ties between countries that had and had not signed The Hague Convention on Child Abduction.
Touching on the two meetings in Malta between the two groups of countries, she said she was pleased that 21 countries, including eight Islamic countries, with diverse family laws and including eight Islamic countries had agreed on fundamental principles of family law in relation to the wrongful removal or retention of children across transnational boundaries.
Retired in 2005, Lady Butler-Sloss, is a Bencher of the Inner Temple in London and was in Malaysia for the launch of the Malaysian Inner Temple Alumni on Sept 15 and to give a lecture, organised by the Asean Law Association and Inner Temple’s first international alumni, the next day.
She is very firm – she refused to take any questions on her appointment as coroner for the inquest into the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales – but is warm at the same time.
Lady Butler-Sloss has a wry sense of humour and you get the feeling that if you had to appear before her, as long as you knew your stuff, she wouldn’t have you for breakfast.
Talking about parental alienation, recognised as a syndrome in America but not Britain, and whether the mother – the guilty party in many instances – needed psychiatric evaluation, she said: “We don’t think the mother needs a psychiatrist; what she needs is a kick up the pants. This is an emotional problem, not a legal problem.”
With more foreigners moving to Britain and since a lot of their family issues relate to culture and religion, has British family law been able to cope or does Parliament expect migrants to submit to the laws of their new home?
“The present president of the Family Division, in a lecture he gave at Belfast, is aware of the cultural differences among people who come to the UK,” Lady Butler-Sloss replied.
“An example he gives is how grandmothers are often the primary carers in African countries. And so we have to recognise cultural differences.
“But if people choose to live in England, the basic English law is the one that should apply, although we will be sympathetic to cultural differences which are acceptable to everybody in that group.”
Lady Butler-Sloss is no stranger to controversy; she was a favourite target for Fathers 4 Justice, a support group for fathers who claimed she was sexist. One decision that caught the attention of the media here in 2001 was her order granting lifetime anonymity for Robert Thompson and Jon Venables who had been convicted of the killing of two-year-old Jamie Bulger in 1993.
She explained: “It was a shocking murder but they were 10. They were sentenced to life but the tariff (time they served) was eight years’ jail. That meant they would come out before going into an adult prison.
“Both had clearly repented and had had intensive help from psychiatrists and so on.
“They were scared stiff about being let out. There were vigilante groups out there saying openly they would kill the boys if they could find them and I had very strong evidence (for that).
“At the time I saw it (the application for the gag order), they were under 18, so they were within our definition of children.
“The European Convention on Human Rights has a number of inalienable rights and a major right is the right to life and I was satisfied that this would be breached if these boys were let out into the community and were identified by the press and photographed.
“Therefore, I decided they had to have lifetime anonymity. Even murderers are entitled to stay alive; they are entitled to repent and then to be rehabilitated.
“And if it is the judgment of Lord Chief Justice that they be let out, I had to make sure they’d live, at least to try and live the lives of good citizens.”
Lady Butler-Sloss has not been taking it easy since she retired in April last year. She sits on a panel that appoints QC (Queen’s Counsel), is chairman of the St Paul’s Cathedral Advisory Council, (University of West England) chancellor and president of an NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) appeal on stopping paedophiles and child abuse.
“I give a lot of lectures. I have a house in the country that I get to when I can, I have a husband, two children, six grandchildren and I’ve been to three conferences recently,” she said in one long breath.
And what does she do for fun?
“Spend time with husband, garden occasionally; take the dog for a walk.”
Lady Butler-Sloss, who finds Malaysians “the most hospitable people”, said she would love to come back here.
“The European Convention on Human Rights has a number of inalienable rights and a major right is the right to life and I was satisfied that this would be breached if these boys were let out into the community and were identified by the press and photographed.
“Therefore, I decided they had to have lifetime anonymity. Even murderers are entitled to stay alive; they are entitled to repent and then to be rehabilitated.
“And if it is the judgment of Lord Chief Justice that they be let out, I had to make sure they’d live, at least to try and live the lives of good citizens.”
Lady Butler-Sloss has not been taking it easy since she retired in April last year. She sits on a panel that appoints QC (Queen’s Counsel), is chairman of the St Paul’s Cathedral Advisory Council, (University of West England) chancellor and president of an NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) appeal on stopping paedophiles and child abuse.
“I give a lot of lectures. I have a house in the country that I get to when I can, I have a husband, two children, six grandchildren and I’ve been to three conferences recently,” she said in one long breath.
And what does she do for fun?
“Spend time with husband, garden occasionally; take the dog for a walk.”
Lady Butler-Sloss, who finds Malaysians “the most hospitable people”, said she would love to come back here.
Lady Butler-Sloss: Believes firmly in the principle of right to life
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