The Star online. News. Nation. Wednesday September 19, 2007
PETALING JAYA: As the anguish continues for Nurin Jazlin’s parents Jazimin Abdul Jalil and Norazian Bistaman, there are at least 16 other parents out there anxiously awaiting news of their missing children.
Nurin is among the 17 children under the age of nine – 10 boys and seven girls – on the police’s list of missing persons.
These children seem to have “vanished” between January and July this year, and have yet to be found. Some left their homes, and like Nurin, never returned. Others were lured away by friends.
They are among the 34 cases (under nine years old) reported to the police until July. Sixteen of the cases involve boys and 18 others are girls. Police have so far found six boys and 11 girls.
“There were other reasons as well, such as the children running away because they were not interested in studying anymore and wanted freedom.
“Many also cited being scolded by their parents and they felt their parents did not understand them, or they felt their parents did not care for them,” said CID director Commissioner Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee.
“But the main reason for the missing children was family dispute. Ten cases involved one parent taking away the child without informing the other after the couple divorced,” he said.
Wanita MCA chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen said society must accept that times have changed.
“We must re-look the value of trust. Urbanisation and progress bring development but also complicate society. We have all kinds of strangers around us and our children.
“The onus is on us, as parents, not to allow our children go out by themselves, even if it is to the grocery store. It is unfortunate, but we must also teach our children not to help strangers because the young ones are too innocent to differentiate between a ruse and a genuine cry for help,” said Dr Ng.
The Deputy Finance Minister said as harsh as it sounded, parents must also teach their children not to be trusting of strangers, teachers and even relatives.
“It has been proven that children have been terribly hurt by those closest to them. The bad person is not confined to the stranger on the street,” said Dr Ng.
She urged society to be caring enough to look out for all children.
“If you happen to come across a child in need, or one looking terrified as she is being held tightly by an adult, do not turn a blind eye, ask the child if he needs your help,” said Dr Ng.
Child psychologist and Suhakam commissioner Dr Chiam Heng Keng said adults could not expect children to have the ability to fend for themselves, or differentiate a “good” person from a “bad” one.
“Children below 10 are not mature enough to think rationally. In many advanced countries, the law forbids these children to be left alone at home or venture out on their own,” she said.
Showing posts with label runaways. Show all posts
Showing posts with label runaways. Show all posts
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
2007 09: Runaway girls return home
The Star online. News. Nation. Wednesday September 19, 2007
By AUDREY EDWARDS
KUALA LUMPUR: They had people searching for them for more than 48 hours while they roamed more than 50km using public transport.
Yesterday, the three teens, Norashila Jaafar, Rosbazla Mohd Basri and Nursyakila Azlan, reported missing over the weekend, were reunited with their parents.
The search ended yesterday morning when Norashila called her mother to tell her she was under a bridge near Pantai Dalam here, more than 50km from her Bukit Beruntung home in Taman Bunga Raya.
Her grandfather, Othman Mohd Ali then went to get her with some friends.
Their families had lodged police reports and also had search parties out scouring the neighbouring areas and in Puchong Perdana after they received a telephone call from a man saying that the girls were there.
Rosbazla and Nursyakila were at a 24-hour cybercafe in Pantai Dalam after Norashila led the police to the building.
“My father nagged me. So, I decided to run away from home and the other two followed me,” she said when met by reporters at the Pantai police station.
Her parents Jaafar Abdullah, a driver, and trader Zaimah Othman were there to meet her. The parents and family members of Rosbazla and Nursyakila also waited for their daughters.
On Saturday night, Norashila, a student at SK Taman Bunga Raya 1, had told her parents that she was going for terawih prayers with her younger sibling.
She had taken RM50 belonging to her mother and her father’s mobile phone.
The next day, they took a KTM Komuter train from Rawang to the MidValley shopping mall, then a bus to Puchong Perdana and returned to MidValley later in the day where they met a boy, who was a friend of Nursyakila.
They then went to the cybercafe in Pantai Dalam via the KTM Komuter and spent the rest of their time there.
“We ate bread all the time. And we ran if we saw someone trying to follow us,” said Norashila.
At the police station yesterday, Zaimah, 34, was heard repeatedly asking her why she had run away.
The girls’ fathers said they did not face any problem with their daughters.
Norashila’s grandmother, Zainon Amoo, said she kept advising Jaafar and Zaimah not to pamper the child, adding that Norashila was given pocket money and almost anything she asked for.
Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Sulaiman Junaidi cautioned parents to watch over their children at all times.
“They might think running away is an outlet to calm down. So, parents should do something.”
By AUDREY EDWARDS
KUALA LUMPUR: They had people searching for them for more than 48 hours while they roamed more than 50km using public transport.
Yesterday, the three teens, Norashila Jaafar, Rosbazla Mohd Basri and Nursyakila Azlan, reported missing over the weekend, were reunited with their parents.
The search ended yesterday morning when Norashila called her mother to tell her she was under a bridge near Pantai Dalam here, more than 50km from her Bukit Beruntung home in Taman Bunga Raya.
Her grandfather, Othman Mohd Ali then went to get her with some friends.
Their families had lodged police reports and also had search parties out scouring the neighbouring areas and in Puchong Perdana after they received a telephone call from a man saying that the girls were there.
Rosbazla and Nursyakila were at a 24-hour cybercafe in Pantai Dalam after Norashila led the police to the building.
“My father nagged me. So, I decided to run away from home and the other two followed me,” she said when met by reporters at the Pantai police station.
Her parents Jaafar Abdullah, a driver, and trader Zaimah Othman were there to meet her. The parents and family members of Rosbazla and Nursyakila also waited for their daughters.
On Saturday night, Norashila, a student at SK Taman Bunga Raya 1, had told her parents that she was going for terawih prayers with her younger sibling.
She had taken RM50 belonging to her mother and her father’s mobile phone.
The next day, they took a KTM Komuter train from Rawang to the MidValley shopping mall, then a bus to Puchong Perdana and returned to MidValley later in the day where they met a boy, who was a friend of Nursyakila.
They then went to the cybercafe in Pantai Dalam via the KTM Komuter and spent the rest of their time there.
“We ate bread all the time. And we ran if we saw someone trying to follow us,” said Norashila.
At the police station yesterday, Zaimah, 34, was heard repeatedly asking her why she had run away.
The girls’ fathers said they did not face any problem with their daughters.
Norashila’s grandmother, Zainon Amoo, said she kept advising Jaafar and Zaimah not to pamper the child, adding that Norashila was given pocket money and almost anything she asked for.
Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Sulaiman Junaidi cautioned parents to watch over their children at all times.
“They might think running away is an outlet to calm down. So, parents should do something.”
Tuesday, 4 September 2007
2007 09: Boy found loitering at Bangsar LRT station
The Star Online. News. Nation. Sunday September 2, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Do you know this boy (pic) or his parents?
The boy, who is believed to be about eight years old, was found loitering on the ground floor of the Bangsar LRT station at about 4pm on Friday.
Brickfields Deputy OCPD Supt Arjunaidi Mohamed said a police team picked up the boy, who was clad in a pair of brown shorts and blue T-shirt, after receiving a tip-off.
“He converses well in Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia and also speaks a little English but refuses to give his name and address or talk about his family.
“The only thing he has told us is that he is eight years old, but we are not sure of this,'' he added.
Supt Arjunaidi said proprietors of the shops at the LRT station also did not know who the boy was.
“We sent him for a medical check-up and he was found to be all right,'' he said.
He added that there were no marks or bruises to show that he had been abused.
Supt Arjunaidi said all police stations had been alerted but no one had come forward or lodged a missing person's report fitting the boy's description.
He said the boy would be kept at the Brickfields police headquarters for the time being.
“If no one comes to claim him, then we will send him to the Welfare Department,'' he added.
Anyone with information on the boy can call the Rakan Cop helpline at 03-2115 9999.
.............................................................
Runaway back with parents, father says child is hyperactive
The Star Online. News. Nation. Monday September 3, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: The boy who was found loitering at Bangsar LRT station on Friday has been reunited with his parents.
The father of Ng Koh Chai, 11, believed to be a hyperactive child, said he had run away from home before but to nearby places. Friday was the first time that he “ventured” to the city.
The father, who did not want to be named, said his son needed special attention as he was very active.
“We never let him out of our sight. However, on Friday, we may have been a little bit careless and taken our eyes off him until he managed to run away again,” he said at the University Malaya Medical Centre where the boy has been admitted for observation.
He said he lodged a missing persons report at the Klang police station after discovering that the boy had disappeared.
“I only came to know my son’s whereabouts from a family friend who watched the news,” he said.
Koh Chai and his father, a vegetable seller, were placed in a special room at the hospital and heavily guarded by security guards to prevent reporters who had gathered in front of the paediatric ward, talking to them.
Brickfields deputy OCPD Supt Arjunaidi Mohamed said Klang police had taken over the case.
Koh Chai was found loitering on the ground floor of the Bangsar LRT station at about 4pm.
A police team picked up the boy, clad in a pair of brown shorts and blue T-shirt, after receiving a tip-off.
He conversed well in Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia and also spoke a little English but refused to give his name and address or talk about his family, when the police questioned him.
KUALA LUMPUR: Do you know this boy (pic) or his parents?
The boy, who is believed to be about eight years old, was found loitering on the ground floor of the Bangsar LRT station at about 4pm on Friday.
Brickfields Deputy OCPD Supt Arjunaidi Mohamed said a police team picked up the boy, who was clad in a pair of brown shorts and blue T-shirt, after receiving a tip-off.
“He converses well in Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia and also speaks a little English but refuses to give his name and address or talk about his family.
“The only thing he has told us is that he is eight years old, but we are not sure of this,'' he added.
Supt Arjunaidi said proprietors of the shops at the LRT station also did not know who the boy was.
“We sent him for a medical check-up and he was found to be all right,'' he said.
He added that there were no marks or bruises to show that he had been abused.
Supt Arjunaidi said all police stations had been alerted but no one had come forward or lodged a missing person's report fitting the boy's description.
He said the boy would be kept at the Brickfields police headquarters for the time being.
“If no one comes to claim him, then we will send him to the Welfare Department,'' he added.
Anyone with information on the boy can call the Rakan Cop helpline at 03-2115 9999.
.............................................................
Runaway back with parents, father says child is hyperactive
The Star Online. News. Nation. Monday September 3, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: The boy who was found loitering at Bangsar LRT station on Friday has been reunited with his parents.
The father of Ng Koh Chai, 11, believed to be a hyperactive child, said he had run away from home before but to nearby places. Friday was the first time that he “ventured” to the city.
The father, who did not want to be named, said his son needed special attention as he was very active.
“We never let him out of our sight. However, on Friday, we may have been a little bit careless and taken our eyes off him until he managed to run away again,” he said at the University Malaya Medical Centre where the boy has been admitted for observation.
He said he lodged a missing persons report at the Klang police station after discovering that the boy had disappeared.
“I only came to know my son’s whereabouts from a family friend who watched the news,” he said.
Koh Chai and his father, a vegetable seller, were placed in a special room at the hospital and heavily guarded by security guards to prevent reporters who had gathered in front of the paediatric ward, talking to them.
Brickfields deputy OCPD Supt Arjunaidi Mohamed said Klang police had taken over the case.
Koh Chai was found loitering on the ground floor of the Bangsar LRT station at about 4pm.
A police team picked up the boy, clad in a pair of brown shorts and blue T-shirt, after receiving a tip-off.
He conversed well in Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia and also spoke a little English but refused to give his name and address or talk about his family, when the police questioned him.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
2007 08: Over 6,000 teens missing since 2004
The Star Online. News. Nation. Monday August 13, 2007
MORE than 6,270 teenagers had been reported missing since 2004 and 4,620 of them were teenage girls, reported Metro Ahad.
However, police statistics have revealed something more alarming – in 2005, 71 of the girls who fled their homes were found dead. Last year, another 71 missing girls' bodies were found. There were 3,246 missing girls reports lodged last year.
Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said between January 2004 and May this year, 67.5% (4,237) of the 6,270 teenagers had been found.
During the same period, a total of 149 girls below the age of nine were also reported missing.
MORE than 6,270 teenagers had been reported missing since 2004 and 4,620 of them were teenage girls, reported Metro Ahad.
However, police statistics have revealed something more alarming – in 2005, 71 of the girls who fled their homes were found dead. Last year, another 71 missing girls' bodies were found. There were 3,246 missing girls reports lodged last year.
Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said between January 2004 and May this year, 67.5% (4,237) of the 6,270 teenagers had been found.
During the same period, a total of 149 girls below the age of nine were also reported missing.
Monday, 30 July 2007
2007 07: Cop: Children under pressure to run away
The Star Online. News. Nation. Wednesday July 25, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: About a quarter of all children who left home did so due to peer pressure.
Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Director II Deputy Comm Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that between January 2004 and May 2007, 6,270 children, below 18 years of age, were reported missing.
The police have reunited 4,237 of them with their respective families but 2,033 other children remain missing nationwide.
DCP Acryl Sani cited several reasons for the children running away from home. They are:
PEER pressure;
YEARNING for freedom;
ELOPING with their boyfriend/girlfriend; and,
LOOKING for job opportunities in urban areas.
He suggested that parents communicate with their children always to overcome any misunderstanding.
“In my personal opinion, between eight and 10 cases of missing children are linked to peer pressure.
“So parents, please talk to your children and understand them,” DCP Acryl Sani told reporters yesterday after launching the RHB Missing Children – Reuniting Families campaign at a hotel here.
He said that Kedah, Johor and Selangor recorded the highest number of cases.
He added that the 578 reported cases of missing children between January and May this year marked a drop from 762 in the corresponding period last year.
Meanwhile, a teenage girl who was last seen taking a taxi in front of her school in Sri Petaling on June 11 has been reported missing.
Tien Yee Wah, 16, was spotted boarding the taxi at about 7am by her schoolmate.
The missing girl’s father, mechanic Tien Yem Ngok, 55, said that he had last spoken to his daughter on July 12 when she called the schoolmate outside the school. – Bernama
............................................................
Last resort
The Star Online. Youth2. Wednesday August 22, 2007
Breakdown in family relations is one of the main reasons teenagers escape from home
CLARA’S decision to leave home was sudden, but it had been coming for a long time. The beating she received from her stepmother the night before she ran away was the final straw, but it was the image of her mother standing by and watch ing silently that steeled her resolve.
Her mother and stepmother are siblings married to Clara’s alcoholic father. The 17- year-old girl had endured physical and men tal torture for as long as she remembered.
My stepmother often accuses me of being immoral and my mother usually takes her side. My mother would rather listen to her sister than to her own daughters,” says Clara, who once had to strip naked and allow her stepmother to examine her private parts to prove that she had not slept with the boy she was seen talking to.
“I have been enduring the pain for too long. I needed to escape from my abusive sur rounding and that’s why I left,” she explains.
Clara is but one of the 6,270 teenagers reported missing from their homes since 2004 in Malaysia. Last year, 3,246 girls were reported missing.
Most would eventually be found and reunited with their families. Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani reported that between January 2004 and May this year, 67.5% (4,237) of the missing teenagers were found.
“Teens run away because they can’t get the freedom or the understanding they seek from their family. Running away becomes their solution because they don’t know how to deal with the problems anymore,” says MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong.
When a parent reports that a child is miss ing, Chong’s department would check with agencies such as the police and the immigra tion department before seeking the public’s help through the media.
Chong says that media attention is always the last resort because it’s a double-edged sword – over 80% of the cases highlighted in the media are successfully solved, but reper cussions such as violation of the family’s rep utation and privacy are also unavoidable.
“There are actually very few cases where runaway or missing teens are cheated by pimps, which were common 15 years ago. Most cases nowadays stem from feuds or misunderstandings between the child and their parents,” adds Chong.
Through an in-house survey, James Nayagam, executive director of Shelter home for children, found that most girls who leave their home have a troubled relationship with their parents, if not boy problems. “It takes a lot for a girl to decide to run,” he says, “and when she does, it’s often because she doesn’t see another way out.”
There are two contributing factors to this problem, he adds – either the girl runs away because of peer influence or she just wants to teach her parents a lesson.
The study also showed that the most vul nerable age group among the runaway teens is from 16 to 18 and most of the kids under this category suffer from a condition Nayagam refers to as ‘attachment disorder’. “This usually happens when the kids find themselves not emotionally attached to any one at home, thus making it easier for them to just leave everything behind.”
According to Nayagam, children who are attached to their parents rarely make the decision to run away from home because they feel everything that children are sup posed to feel – happy and belonged.
“When I spoke to the girls who came for help, I realised that most of them wouldn’t have run away if only they had someone to talk them out of it,” says Nayagam. But when they do come to him, Nayagam ensures that they get all the help that they need. No prodding questions are asked when a girl steps into the Shelter vicinity. ”If a troubled girl wants help and shelter, then that’s what she gets from us,” says James.
Runaway Clara turned to her best friend’s family for help when she left home, and it was her friend’s mother who took her to Nayagam’s Shelter.
She had since settled in at the Shelter, and has no intentions of returning to her family. “I am happy here and am looking forward to go to a new school. If that’s impossible, I’ll just study at this shelter and sit for the SPM examination later this year,” says Clara, a bright student who has even represented her previous school for marathons in district levels.
The girls are allowed to stay at the Shelter until they turn 18, but there are also some who attempt to reunite with their families. “Most cases are resolved when the teen returns to his/her family and discuss their problems openly with each other. But we’ve also encountered some situations where the runaways would come to us and tell us their intention to leave their homes and request us not to expose the matter to the media if their families seek our help,” says Chong. James spoke of a case in which he brought a girl back home to her worried parents. “The first thing that the father asked the girl was ‘Why?’ a question which I think builds up a wall around a person faster than any other question could,” says James. The girl then replied that although she had everything in the big, beautiful house ... it was missing love.
That, James says, is what every girl wants from her home. Chong agrees. “Parents need to spend more quality time with their children and really listen to their needs. They must also set good examples of themselves – you can’t expect a child to respect or be obedient when the parents are full of vices,” says Chong.
KUALA LUMPUR: About a quarter of all children who left home did so due to peer pressure.
Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Director II Deputy Comm Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that between January 2004 and May 2007, 6,270 children, below 18 years of age, were reported missing.
The police have reunited 4,237 of them with their respective families but 2,033 other children remain missing nationwide.
DCP Acryl Sani cited several reasons for the children running away from home. They are:
PEER pressure;
YEARNING for freedom;
ELOPING with their boyfriend/girlfriend; and,
LOOKING for job opportunities in urban areas.
He suggested that parents communicate with their children always to overcome any misunderstanding.
“In my personal opinion, between eight and 10 cases of missing children are linked to peer pressure.
“So parents, please talk to your children and understand them,” DCP Acryl Sani told reporters yesterday after launching the RHB Missing Children – Reuniting Families campaign at a hotel here.
He said that Kedah, Johor and Selangor recorded the highest number of cases.
He added that the 578 reported cases of missing children between January and May this year marked a drop from 762 in the corresponding period last year.
Meanwhile, a teenage girl who was last seen taking a taxi in front of her school in Sri Petaling on June 11 has been reported missing.
Tien Yee Wah, 16, was spotted boarding the taxi at about 7am by her schoolmate.
The missing girl’s father, mechanic Tien Yem Ngok, 55, said that he had last spoken to his daughter on July 12 when she called the schoolmate outside the school. – Bernama
............................................................
Last resort
The Star Online. Youth2. Wednesday August 22, 2007
Breakdown in family relations is one of the main reasons teenagers escape from home
CLARA’S decision to leave home was sudden, but it had been coming for a long time. The beating she received from her stepmother the night before she ran away was the final straw, but it was the image of her mother standing by and watch ing silently that steeled her resolve.
Her mother and stepmother are siblings married to Clara’s alcoholic father. The 17- year-old girl had endured physical and men tal torture for as long as she remembered.
My stepmother often accuses me of being immoral and my mother usually takes her side. My mother would rather listen to her sister than to her own daughters,” says Clara, who once had to strip naked and allow her stepmother to examine her private parts to prove that she had not slept with the boy she was seen talking to.
“I have been enduring the pain for too long. I needed to escape from my abusive sur rounding and that’s why I left,” she explains.
Clara is but one of the 6,270 teenagers reported missing from their homes since 2004 in Malaysia. Last year, 3,246 girls were reported missing.
Most would eventually be found and reunited with their families. Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani reported that between January 2004 and May this year, 67.5% (4,237) of the missing teenagers were found.
“Teens run away because they can’t get the freedom or the understanding they seek from their family. Running away becomes their solution because they don’t know how to deal with the problems anymore,” says MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong.
When a parent reports that a child is miss ing, Chong’s department would check with agencies such as the police and the immigra tion department before seeking the public’s help through the media.
Chong says that media attention is always the last resort because it’s a double-edged sword – over 80% of the cases highlighted in the media are successfully solved, but reper cussions such as violation of the family’s rep utation and privacy are also unavoidable.
“There are actually very few cases where runaway or missing teens are cheated by pimps, which were common 15 years ago. Most cases nowadays stem from feuds or misunderstandings between the child and their parents,” adds Chong.
Through an in-house survey, James Nayagam, executive director of Shelter home for children, found that most girls who leave their home have a troubled relationship with their parents, if not boy problems. “It takes a lot for a girl to decide to run,” he says, “and when she does, it’s often because she doesn’t see another way out.”
There are two contributing factors to this problem, he adds – either the girl runs away because of peer influence or she just wants to teach her parents a lesson.
The study also showed that the most vul nerable age group among the runaway teens is from 16 to 18 and most of the kids under this category suffer from a condition Nayagam refers to as ‘attachment disorder’. “This usually happens when the kids find themselves not emotionally attached to any one at home, thus making it easier for them to just leave everything behind.”
According to Nayagam, children who are attached to their parents rarely make the decision to run away from home because they feel everything that children are sup posed to feel – happy and belonged.
“When I spoke to the girls who came for help, I realised that most of them wouldn’t have run away if only they had someone to talk them out of it,” says Nayagam. But when they do come to him, Nayagam ensures that they get all the help that they need. No prodding questions are asked when a girl steps into the Shelter vicinity. ”If a troubled girl wants help and shelter, then that’s what she gets from us,” says James.
Runaway Clara turned to her best friend’s family for help when she left home, and it was her friend’s mother who took her to Nayagam’s Shelter.
She had since settled in at the Shelter, and has no intentions of returning to her family. “I am happy here and am looking forward to go to a new school. If that’s impossible, I’ll just study at this shelter and sit for the SPM examination later this year,” says Clara, a bright student who has even represented her previous school for marathons in district levels.
The girls are allowed to stay at the Shelter until they turn 18, but there are also some who attempt to reunite with their families. “Most cases are resolved when the teen returns to his/her family and discuss their problems openly with each other. But we’ve also encountered some situations where the runaways would come to us and tell us their intention to leave their homes and request us not to expose the matter to the media if their families seek our help,” says Chong. James spoke of a case in which he brought a girl back home to her worried parents. “The first thing that the father asked the girl was ‘Why?’ a question which I think builds up a wall around a person faster than any other question could,” says James. The girl then replied that although she had everything in the big, beautiful house ... it was missing love.
That, James says, is what every girl wants from her home. Chong agrees. “Parents need to spend more quality time with their children and really listen to their needs. They must also set good examples of themselves – you can’t expect a child to respect or be obedient when the parents are full of vices,” says Chong.
Friday, 20 July 2007
2007 07: Unhappiness at home leads to bad behaviour
The Star Online. Opinion. Sunday July 15, 2007
CHILDREN behave badly or go missing for many reasons, but unhappiness at home, real or imagined, is a common factor. Since 2004 up to May this year, 1,900 children had been reported missing, most of them girls, disclosed Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum.
Parents blame the teachers, who in turn bristle at the injustice of parents dumping the entire weight of responsibility on them. Ideally parents and teachers should work in tandem. But the reality is that a teacher faces 50 hyperactive children each day, a clutch of whom are actively disruptive to lessons.
On and off the school grounds, teenage temptations beckon like tall-grass at their feet — smoking, sex, drugs, easy money and junior-league gangsterism.
Some do trip and fall, and those who commit and are convicted of lesser offences would be placed in designated approved schools.
For more serious crimes, boys aged between 14 and 21 would be sent to the Henry Gurney reform schools, which gives them a second chance, a skill and often, sadly, a stigma.
The assumption that adults know best now no longer holds true. Today's young people show far more knowledge than their years, although “In terms of dependence on their parents, however, compared to developed countries, we are three to four years behind,” said Dr Mohamed Fadzil.
Nevertheless, they would like to be consulted on their preferences as punishment: conventional youth correctional facilities, innovative community service as well as the much-maligned caning. Plus any other out-of-the-box solutions for “bad behaviour”.
In the end, laws must reflect the values of the environment of the day, said Dr Mohamed Fadzil. Otherwise the laws would become straightjackets, caging the youths in adult expectations.
CHILDREN behave badly or go missing for many reasons, but unhappiness at home, real or imagined, is a common factor. Since 2004 up to May this year, 1,900 children had been reported missing, most of them girls, disclosed Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Mohd Johari Baharum.
Parents blame the teachers, who in turn bristle at the injustice of parents dumping the entire weight of responsibility on them. Ideally parents and teachers should work in tandem. But the reality is that a teacher faces 50 hyperactive children each day, a clutch of whom are actively disruptive to lessons.
On and off the school grounds, teenage temptations beckon like tall-grass at their feet — smoking, sex, drugs, easy money and junior-league gangsterism.
Some do trip and fall, and those who commit and are convicted of lesser offences would be placed in designated approved schools.
For more serious crimes, boys aged between 14 and 21 would be sent to the Henry Gurney reform schools, which gives them a second chance, a skill and often, sadly, a stigma.
The assumption that adults know best now no longer holds true. Today's young people show far more knowledge than their years, although “In terms of dependence on their parents, however, compared to developed countries, we are three to four years behind,” said Dr Mohamed Fadzil.
Nevertheless, they would like to be consulted on their preferences as punishment: conventional youth correctional facilities, innovative community service as well as the much-maligned caning. Plus any other out-of-the-box solutions for “bad behaviour”.
In the end, laws must reflect the values of the environment of the day, said Dr Mohamed Fadzil. Otherwise the laws would become straightjackets, caging the youths in adult expectations.
Monday, 16 July 2007
2007 07: Runaways run to Chong first
The Star online. News. Nation. Tuesday July 10, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: Girls intending to run away from home are now going to Datuk Michael Chong first – and he is stumped with what they want him to do.
The MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head said: “They tell me that they intend to run away from home on a particular date. They don’t want me to stop them but they request that I do not entertain their families’ pleas when they come to me to look for their ‘missing girls’.
“They want to run away quietly and want me to keep quiet as well,” he told reporters yesterday.
He said the girls usually wanted to leave home to be with their boyfriends after facing parental objections towards their relationships.
Chong said he advised these young girls to drop their plans.
However, he also urged parents not to be “too controlling”, adding that they should understand the youngsters’ need for attention and companionship.
“We may push it aside as puppy love but to the youngsters, the feelings are very real because they want someone to care and love them,” said Chong.
One such case involved 15-year-old Chai Kah Mun, who ran away from home three times to be with her boyfriend, who is of another race.
Acting on a tip-off, her frantic father, Chai Kam Yew, 44, found her in the boyfriend’s house in Pandan Indah last Thursday.
Chai, who also addressed reporters yesterday, said: “The boyfriend challenged me to search the house, saying that my daughter was not there. How my heart broke when I found her hiding under the bed.
“Worse, she did not want to follow me home although I promised that I would not send her to a welfare home that she ran away from,” said Chai, a chee cheong fun seller.
He had previously placed her in a home as he claimed she was “too demanding” – wanting to go out every day and seeking more freedom.
“I promised to allow her to continue the relationship once she turned 18. She asked that I allow her to go for tuition classes. I want to but I do not have enough money,” said Chai.
Kah Mun, who cried during the press conference, said she just wanted her father to allow her out of the house, and trust that she would be able to take care of herself.
“I don’t want to be locked up all the time,” said Kah Mun.
Chong acted as a mediator and obtained a promise from the father to allow Kah Mun out of the house twice a week.
He also urged Kah Mun to understand her father’s concern and financial difficulties.
“Here is an example of a vulnerable single-parent family trying its best not to crack from the everyday pressures of financial limitation, a generation gap and outside influences,” he said.
KUALA LUMPUR: Girls intending to run away from home are now going to Datuk Michael Chong first – and he is stumped with what they want him to do.
The MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head said: “They tell me that they intend to run away from home on a particular date. They don’t want me to stop them but they request that I do not entertain their families’ pleas when they come to me to look for their ‘missing girls’.
“They want to run away quietly and want me to keep quiet as well,” he told reporters yesterday.
He said the girls usually wanted to leave home to be with their boyfriends after facing parental objections towards their relationships.
Chong said he advised these young girls to drop their plans.
However, he also urged parents not to be “too controlling”, adding that they should understand the youngsters’ need for attention and companionship.
“We may push it aside as puppy love but to the youngsters, the feelings are very real because they want someone to care and love them,” said Chong.
One such case involved 15-year-old Chai Kah Mun, who ran away from home three times to be with her boyfriend, who is of another race.
Acting on a tip-off, her frantic father, Chai Kam Yew, 44, found her in the boyfriend’s house in Pandan Indah last Thursday.
Chai, who also addressed reporters yesterday, said: “The boyfriend challenged me to search the house, saying that my daughter was not there. How my heart broke when I found her hiding under the bed.
“Worse, she did not want to follow me home although I promised that I would not send her to a welfare home that she ran away from,” said Chai, a chee cheong fun seller.
He had previously placed her in a home as he claimed she was “too demanding” – wanting to go out every day and seeking more freedom.
“I promised to allow her to continue the relationship once she turned 18. She asked that I allow her to go for tuition classes. I want to but I do not have enough money,” said Chai.
Kah Mun, who cried during the press conference, said she just wanted her father to allow her out of the house, and trust that she would be able to take care of herself.
“I don’t want to be locked up all the time,” said Kah Mun.
Chong acted as a mediator and obtained a promise from the father to allow Kah Mun out of the house twice a week.
He also urged Kah Mun to understand her father’s concern and financial difficulties.
“Here is an example of a vulnerable single-parent family trying its best not to crack from the everyday pressures of financial limitation, a generation gap and outside influences,” he said.
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
2007 05: Why children run away
The Star online. News. Opinion. Saturday May 19, 2007
SOCIETY has to be more receptive to this problem of runaway children as the number of teen runaways has of late increased markedly and, notably, more girls than boys are involved.
Runaway children are not lost or abducted but are children who go missing voluntarily. They leave their home on their own accord thinking that they can lead a better life but little do they realise that they will end up worse of.
Many end up living in squalid conditions with some surviving through begging, stealing, drug dealing and prostitution.
Evidently, the country has yet to come to a stage where we see thousands disappearing from home as it happens in some poor and even rich countries. This, nonetheless, should not be considered a trivial matter.
Parents should be taken to task when dejected children leave their homes. Studies have shown that many teens flee their homes because of the home environment itself.
They suffer from pressure and stress at home and have a tendency to leave their homes impulsively. They may have been exposed to family conflict, poverty, physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Broken families – involving divorce, separation, new marriages –have also driven many teenagers to run away.
DR M.A. NAIR,
Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang.
SOCIETY has to be more receptive to this problem of runaway children as the number of teen runaways has of late increased markedly and, notably, more girls than boys are involved.
Runaway children are not lost or abducted but are children who go missing voluntarily. They leave their home on their own accord thinking that they can lead a better life but little do they realise that they will end up worse of.
Many end up living in squalid conditions with some surviving through begging, stealing, drug dealing and prostitution.
Evidently, the country has yet to come to a stage where we see thousands disappearing from home as it happens in some poor and even rich countries. This, nonetheless, should not be considered a trivial matter.
Parents should be taken to task when dejected children leave their homes. Studies have shown that many teens flee their homes because of the home environment itself.
They suffer from pressure and stress at home and have a tendency to leave their homes impulsively. They may have been exposed to family conflict, poverty, physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Broken families – involving divorce, separation, new marriages –have also driven many teenagers to run away.
DR M.A. NAIR,
Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang.
Tuesday, 8 May 2007
2007 05: ‘I want to be with mum’
The Star online. News. Nation. Friday May 4, 2007
By SIRA HABIBU
ALOR STAR: A 12-year-old boy, who ran away from a children’s home in Penang to be with his mother, wants to stay with her and go to a school near her house in Kampung Seberang Nyonya in Pekan Cina here.
Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar was sent to stay at the home five years ago because of a court order, as his mother 38-year-old Norshafilla Osman, a divorcee with five sons, was jobless.
Muhammad Tauhiq ran away from the home in November last year, claiming he could not stand being bullied by the older “sisters” at the home.
“I want to sit for the UPSR this year. I do not want to miss the examination. But my mother could not enrol me in any school in Kedah.
“The Welfare Department officers say I must return to the school in Bertam. This is not fair. Why can’t I be with my mother and go to a school near my mother’s house?
“When I was taken away from my mother, the people at the children’s home did not send me to a school for quite some time. Maybe they thought I would run away.
“I was finally enrolled into SK Hashim Awang in Year 3.
“After my Year 5 examination, I decided to run away on a bicycle to be with my mother.
“I rode on the North-South Expressway to Alor Star. But police stopped me at the Sungai Petani Utara toll plaza and took me to my mother,” he said.
Muhammad Tauhiq said he dearly wished that all his brothers could stay together with their mother as a family.
“My eldest brother is staying with a relative. My two other brothers are staying in children's homes. Only my nine-year-old brother is with our mother,” he said.
A spokesman from the children’s home claimed that Muhammad Tauhiq ran away from his mother’s home, not their home.
Kedah Welfare Department deputy director Hashimah Ibrahim said the department had applied for the court order as the mother could not afford to take care of her children.
.....................................
Runaway may get to stay with mum
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 5, 2007
By SIRA HABIBU
ALOR STAR: The 12-year-old boy who ran away from a children's home in Penang may get his wish to stay with his mother in Kedah.
Alor Star MP Datuk Chor Chee Heung said he would talk to the Welfare Department to make the necessary arrangements for the boy to stay with his mother and continue schooling in Kedah.
“The boy must continue schooling. We will work something out in terms of maintenance and schooling. I will make arrangements to give him pocket money,” he said.
He was commenting on Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar’s plight which was highlighted in The Star yesterday.
The boy ran away from a children’s shelter in Kepala Batas to be with his mother in Kampung Seberang Nyonya in Pekan Cina here.
He started cycling towards Alor Star, 90km away, on the day after sitting for his final Year Five paper in November last year. Police spotted him at the Sungai Petani Utara toll plaza about 30km from the children’s home.
He was then brought to his mother. The boy was separated from his mother when he was seven following a court order.
His mother Norshafilla Osman, 38, has five sons aged between six and 15 and was not able to take care of her children.
..........................................
Alor Star MCA adopts boy
The Star online. News. Nation. Sunday May 6, 2007
ALOR STAR: The Alor Star MCA has adopted Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar, who ran away from a children’s home in Penang to be with his mother, under its “anak angkat” scheme.
Its chairman Datuk Chor Chee Heung said 12-year-old Muhammad Tauhiq would be adopted under the Langkawi Project scheme.
Chor said Muhammad Tauhiq would be given pocket money of RM60 a month, textbooks, bags and shoes if arrangements could be made for him to go to school in Kedah.
Muhammad Tauhiq ran away from a children’s shelter in Kepala Batas last November to be with his mother in Kampung Seberang Nyonya in Pekan China, Alor Star.
He was sent to the children’s home about five years ago after the Welfare Department applied for a court order.
Kedah Welfare Department deputy director Hashimah Ibrahim said the department had applied for the order as the boy's mother, Norshafilla Osman, a divorcee with no income, could not afford to take care of her five sons.
Her eldest son, who is 15, is staying with a relative while two others, aged 13 and 6 are in children’s homes in Malacca and Kepala Batas respectively. Only her nine-year-old son is with her.
Muhammad Tauhiq, who hopes to sit for the UPSR this year, immediately asked his mother to buy him a UPSR science book after Chor donated RM50 to her.
“I have missed classes this year. I do not have any books. I want to study. I wish I could go to tuition classes to catch up with my studies.”
Chor also added that he would discuss with the welfare department to help Norshafilla repair her dilapidated house and apply for a new house built for the poor.
.....................................
Tauhiq gets wish to sit for UPSR today
The Star Online. News. Nation. Monday September 3, 2007
ALOR STAR: The 12-year-old boy who ran away from a children’s home in North Seberang Prai to be with his mother here has got his wish – to sit for the UPSR which starts today.
State Education director Misrah Ibrahim said arrangements were being made to let Muhammad Tauhiq sit for the examination at SK Gerigis here as a private student.
The school is not far from his mother’s rented house in Taman Derga.
Muhammad Tauhiq, when informed of the news, said he would do his “very best”.
“I am so happy now. I was feeling miserable the whole year because I could not attend school,” he said.
Muhammad Tauhiq had pleaded with the education authorities to allow him to sit for the UPSR this year as he did not want to be a school dropout.
He had said he was willing to sleep in a surau if the education authorities allowed him to sit for the examination at his old school, SK Hashim Awang in North Seberang Prai.
Muhammad Tauhiq said he did not know what paper he would be sitting for today, but he was prepared for all the subjects except English.
Penang Puteri Umno chief Azalina Mehtab Mohd Ishaq who read about the boy’s plight in The Star yesterday alerted Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein.
Hishamuddin then directed the relevant authorities to look into the matter.
Malaysia Examination Board director Datuk Mohammed Zakaria Mohd Noor said the board, which allowed the boy to sit for the examination as a private student, gave such leeway to dropouts and those who could not register on time.
By SIRA HABIBU
ALOR STAR: A 12-year-old boy, who ran away from a children’s home in Penang to be with his mother, wants to stay with her and go to a school near her house in Kampung Seberang Nyonya in Pekan Cina here.
Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar was sent to stay at the home five years ago because of a court order, as his mother 38-year-old Norshafilla Osman, a divorcee with five sons, was jobless.
Muhammad Tauhiq ran away from the home in November last year, claiming he could not stand being bullied by the older “sisters” at the home.
“I want to sit for the UPSR this year. I do not want to miss the examination. But my mother could not enrol me in any school in Kedah.
“The Welfare Department officers say I must return to the school in Bertam. This is not fair. Why can’t I be with my mother and go to a school near my mother’s house?
“When I was taken away from my mother, the people at the children’s home did not send me to a school for quite some time. Maybe they thought I would run away.
“I was finally enrolled into SK Hashim Awang in Year 3.
“After my Year 5 examination, I decided to run away on a bicycle to be with my mother.
“I rode on the North-South Expressway to Alor Star. But police stopped me at the Sungai Petani Utara toll plaza and took me to my mother,” he said.
Muhammad Tauhiq said he dearly wished that all his brothers could stay together with their mother as a family.
“My eldest brother is staying with a relative. My two other brothers are staying in children's homes. Only my nine-year-old brother is with our mother,” he said.
A spokesman from the children’s home claimed that Muhammad Tauhiq ran away from his mother’s home, not their home.
Kedah Welfare Department deputy director Hashimah Ibrahim said the department had applied for the court order as the mother could not afford to take care of her children.
.....................................
Runaway may get to stay with mum
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 5, 2007
By SIRA HABIBU
ALOR STAR: The 12-year-old boy who ran away from a children's home in Penang may get his wish to stay with his mother in Kedah.
Alor Star MP Datuk Chor Chee Heung said he would talk to the Welfare Department to make the necessary arrangements for the boy to stay with his mother and continue schooling in Kedah.
“The boy must continue schooling. We will work something out in terms of maintenance and schooling. I will make arrangements to give him pocket money,” he said.
He was commenting on Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar’s plight which was highlighted in The Star yesterday.
The boy ran away from a children’s shelter in Kepala Batas to be with his mother in Kampung Seberang Nyonya in Pekan Cina here.
He started cycling towards Alor Star, 90km away, on the day after sitting for his final Year Five paper in November last year. Police spotted him at the Sungai Petani Utara toll plaza about 30km from the children’s home.
He was then brought to his mother. The boy was separated from his mother when he was seven following a court order.
His mother Norshafilla Osman, 38, has five sons aged between six and 15 and was not able to take care of her children.
..........................................
Alor Star MCA adopts boy
The Star online. News. Nation. Sunday May 6, 2007
ALOR STAR: The Alor Star MCA has adopted Muhammad Tauhiq Firddauz Abu Bakar, who ran away from a children’s home in Penang to be with his mother, under its “anak angkat” scheme.
Its chairman Datuk Chor Chee Heung said 12-year-old Muhammad Tauhiq would be adopted under the Langkawi Project scheme.
Chor said Muhammad Tauhiq would be given pocket money of RM60 a month, textbooks, bags and shoes if arrangements could be made for him to go to school in Kedah.
Muhammad Tauhiq ran away from a children’s shelter in Kepala Batas last November to be with his mother in Kampung Seberang Nyonya in Pekan China, Alor Star.
He was sent to the children’s home about five years ago after the Welfare Department applied for a court order.
Kedah Welfare Department deputy director Hashimah Ibrahim said the department had applied for the order as the boy's mother, Norshafilla Osman, a divorcee with no income, could not afford to take care of her five sons.
Her eldest son, who is 15, is staying with a relative while two others, aged 13 and 6 are in children’s homes in Malacca and Kepala Batas respectively. Only her nine-year-old son is with her.
Muhammad Tauhiq, who hopes to sit for the UPSR this year, immediately asked his mother to buy him a UPSR science book after Chor donated RM50 to her.
“I have missed classes this year. I do not have any books. I want to study. I wish I could go to tuition classes to catch up with my studies.”
Chor also added that he would discuss with the welfare department to help Norshafilla repair her dilapidated house and apply for a new house built for the poor.
.....................................
Tauhiq gets wish to sit for UPSR today
The Star Online. News. Nation. Monday September 3, 2007
ALOR STAR: The 12-year-old boy who ran away from a children’s home in North Seberang Prai to be with his mother here has got his wish – to sit for the UPSR which starts today.
State Education director Misrah Ibrahim said arrangements were being made to let Muhammad Tauhiq sit for the examination at SK Gerigis here as a private student.
The school is not far from his mother’s rented house in Taman Derga.
Muhammad Tauhiq, when informed of the news, said he would do his “very best”.
“I am so happy now. I was feeling miserable the whole year because I could not attend school,” he said.
Muhammad Tauhiq had pleaded with the education authorities to allow him to sit for the UPSR this year as he did not want to be a school dropout.
He had said he was willing to sleep in a surau if the education authorities allowed him to sit for the examination at his old school, SK Hashim Awang in North Seberang Prai.
Muhammad Tauhiq said he did not know what paper he would be sitting for today, but he was prepared for all the subjects except English.
Penang Puteri Umno chief Azalina Mehtab Mohd Ishaq who read about the boy’s plight in The Star yesterday alerted Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein.
Hishamuddin then directed the relevant authorities to look into the matter.
Malaysia Examination Board director Datuk Mohammed Zakaria Mohd Noor said the board, which allowed the boy to sit for the examination as a private student, gave such leeway to dropouts and those who could not register on time.
Thursday, 3 May 2007
2007 04: Joy, disbelief as daughter returns after two years
NST online. Local News. 15/04/07
TENGKU PUTERI NUR AQILAH & TENGKU KAMARUDIN:Runaways or forcibly taken away, it makes no difference to parents. The fear of not knowing what has happened to their children is a fate that no parent should undergo.
V. SHUMAN and FADHAL ILAHI ABD GHANI spoke to two families who experienced contrasting fortunes recently.
TIME stood still for Maria Wati Abdul Wahab on Thursday evening.
The daughter she had never given up hope on, was standing in front of their home in Kuala Lumpur.
They stared at each other for a moment before breaking down and collapsing into each other’s arms. The prodigal daughter, Tengku Puteri Nur Aqilah Tengku Kamarudin, had returned after two years.
There was no hesitancy on Maria’s part. Her daughter was back and that was all that mattered.
They were still crying and holding onto each other when the New Sunday Times visited them the next day.
Tengku Puteri, 16, did not want to say much. Her mother did most of the talking.
Her mother had waited outside her school in Jalan Peel in April, 2005, but Tengku Puteri did not show up. "My life was never the same again," Maria, 39, said.
Maria and her husband, Mohd Alyvvn Lim, spent more than RM50,000 on travel, telephone calls and other expenditure in their search of their only child.
Maria spoke of how afraid she would be whenever she watched the news or read about the body of an unidentified girl being found.
"I would pray it wasn’t my daughter." On many occasions, the couple were sent on a wild goose chase all over the country.
"We went through hell, our marriage suffered but I am so happy now. I am not going to lose her again.
"It is believed that the girl stayed with her friend’s family for the past two years. She did not contact her family but "came to her senses" on Thursday morning.
She was crying throughout the interview. Her mother held her and kept assuring her that everything would be all right.
Maria is not going to force Tengku Puteri to get back to her studies.
"I will allow her to decide. "I will not impose my will on her. I don’t want to lose her."
She recounted the moment when she set eyes on her daughter after two years on Thursday evening.
She and her husband, who operate a food stall near their apartment at the Dahlia Court in Pandan Indah, were starting business for the day when the guard told them that their daughter had just gone to their unit.
"I was afraid of being disappointed again. "There were many times when the information we got about her turned out to be false," Maria said.
"I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming when I saw my daughter standing outside our unit."
TENGKU PUTERI NUR AQILAH & TENGKU KAMARUDIN:Runaways or forcibly taken away, it makes no difference to parents. The fear of not knowing what has happened to their children is a fate that no parent should undergo.
V. SHUMAN and FADHAL ILAHI ABD GHANI spoke to two families who experienced contrasting fortunes recently.
TIME stood still for Maria Wati Abdul Wahab on Thursday evening.
The daughter she had never given up hope on, was standing in front of their home in Kuala Lumpur.
They stared at each other for a moment before breaking down and collapsing into each other’s arms. The prodigal daughter, Tengku Puteri Nur Aqilah Tengku Kamarudin, had returned after two years.
There was no hesitancy on Maria’s part. Her daughter was back and that was all that mattered.
They were still crying and holding onto each other when the New Sunday Times visited them the next day.
Tengku Puteri, 16, did not want to say much. Her mother did most of the talking.
Her mother had waited outside her school in Jalan Peel in April, 2005, but Tengku Puteri did not show up. "My life was never the same again," Maria, 39, said.
Maria and her husband, Mohd Alyvvn Lim, spent more than RM50,000 on travel, telephone calls and other expenditure in their search of their only child.
Maria spoke of how afraid she would be whenever she watched the news or read about the body of an unidentified girl being found.
"I would pray it wasn’t my daughter." On many occasions, the couple were sent on a wild goose chase all over the country.
"We went through hell, our marriage suffered but I am so happy now. I am not going to lose her again.
"It is believed that the girl stayed with her friend’s family for the past two years. She did not contact her family but "came to her senses" on Thursday morning.
She was crying throughout the interview. Her mother held her and kept assuring her that everything would be all right.
Maria is not going to force Tengku Puteri to get back to her studies.
"I will allow her to decide. "I will not impose my will on her. I don’t want to lose her."
She recounted the moment when she set eyes on her daughter after two years on Thursday evening.
She and her husband, who operate a food stall near their apartment at the Dahlia Court in Pandan Indah, were starting business for the day when the guard told them that their daughter had just gone to their unit.
"I was afraid of being disappointed again. "There were many times when the information we got about her turned out to be false," Maria said.
"I had to pinch myself to make sure I was not dreaming when I saw my daughter standing outside our unit."
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