Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Prove our Love...Protect our children



Children are the most precious gift from God to not only parents but also society as a whole. They brighten our life and bring hopes to our society. They are indispensable and irreplaceable. It is so sad that the world we live in is no longer safe for our children.


The brutal killing of innocent children in the past such as Nurin Jazlin Jazimin and the recent case of a missing girl Sharlinie Mohd Nashar had touched the social conscience of all Malaysians.
It is high time for the entire nation -- law enforcement agencies, voluntary organizations, parents and the public at large -- to work with one mind to address the issue of safety for children. Every Malaysian must be committed to the greater protection of children and provide better care for them.

As charity begins at home, parents must exercise greater responsibility for the safety of their children. Parents must exercise their role as first line protector to their children.

1) Parents need to keep a closer watch on their children, irrespective of where they are, especially when they are outside their homes, at playgrounds or elsewhere.
2) Parents should also embark on continuous efforts to teach and educate their young children to be vigilant, not to befriend strangers, and be assertive and streetwise.
3) They must teach their children safe and proper behavior and how to deal with the many real dangers in the environment around them.

At any times,

1) Parents must shed kampong mentality hoping that there will always be people around that may be aware, keep an eye or concern if something happened to their children.

2) Parents must realize that this world that their children live in is not as safe as 20, 30 years ago when they grow up.

3) Parents must also realize that due to their playful nature, elder children can never be capable to provide adequate parental supervision to their younger siblings.

4) Therefore parents must not empower their elder child to supervise his/her younger siblings.
Schools should also play an important role to teach children to be safety conscious.
In this connection, it may be timely for the Education Ministry to introduce and implement a special child-safety programme where students can be given additional knowledge about their personal safety and be taught how to make themselves safe from predators.

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