Monday, September 24, 2007

Parental Negligent and Abuse is Real

In memory of Nurin Jazlin and
another special someone on her birthday

If the IGP Tan Sri Musa Hasan, Dato Shahrizat and Dato Nazri was wronged and labeled as “bodoh” by some commentators in Nuraina Samad’s blog here, it is perhaps due to their poor timing and insensitive remarks. Perhaps it is out of sympathy and anger, knowing the couple had suffered enough for their lackadaisical attitude. I am not about to echo the IGP and Minister and be their apologist. However, fact is fact and they are right.

Having undergone a legal battle involving the Child Protection Act, I am quite aware the existence of such law. There is such law to protect children from negligent and abusive parents. Negligent and abusive parents exist and are quite prevalent in this country!

I am not unsympathetic but fact is fact. In the case of Nurin Jazlin, the parents were partly to blame to allow her to roam the night market by herself unaccompanied and unmonitored. What more with a child sex molester widely known to be roaming the area. The lapse in attention by Jazimin Abdul Jalil and his wife, Norazian Bistaman lead to the death of their 8-year old daughter. Some parents do take things for granted and they should be made aware of such danger.

It is unfair for many parties to lay the responsibility on the police when some parents have shirked from their responsibility to take the necessary precaution. In a city of few million people, finding a lost 8-year old is almost like finding a rusted needle in a pile of haystack. What more with piling cases and insufficient resources. The police can be seek to help but the first party of responsibility lies with the parents.

Assuming there is no politics in play, the statement by the IGP and Ministers should be taken factually. It’s most unlikely Nurin Jazlin's parents will be charged. Perhaps, it is necessary to be brutally honest to make the public more aware that parental negligence is an offense under the Child Protection Act. Negligent and also abusive parents pose danger to children and it goes beyond just their physical, emotional and psychological well being but even death. The impact of abusive parents is more vicious as per the maxim "abuse children grow up to be abusive parents".

The Child Protection Act covers for parental responsibility to provide for food, clothing, and schools. It includes monitoring, guiding and supervising children’s physical, educational, emotional and spiritual development. It is not easily enforceble for the law to cover for poor parenting skill, but there is sufficient provision for parental apathy towards their responsibility.

Based on the observations of both my teacher-parents, neglected children tend to be playful, lack disciplien and as a result do poorly in school. Common indication of negligent or poor parenting are children allowed to roam free out of their home and their play activity left uncurtailed. The unsupervised and unmonitored freedom given to children is the root cause that later lead to other adolescence problems like indiscipline, gangsterism, drugs, sexual promiscuity, and others.


Surmise to say, parental neglect is the root cause and contributing factor of social ill amongst youth. Despite the affluence of society of today, the problems of parental neglect, that is assumed as common in the lower economic class, are now common occurrence amongst higher end of society.

Is the Child Protection Act of 2001 effective? Perhaps its worth sharing the experiance of my own battle in the courts to save few children from abusive parent and step parent few years ago. Our attempt to save the children had the only option to seek their removal from the abusive parent. Alas it was denied because of inadequate law.

The law only give living parent the locus standi for guardianship. There is no or too stringent provisions and process to remove the parental right of negligent and abusive parents and to award child custody to other family members. What hope is there to safe the children when the court allowed for the children to live under the same roof with the abusive parents? What hope to protect children when they couldn't distinguish between capital punishment and child abuse? Although there are avenues under syariah law, indifference was another insurmountable barrier we faced.

Since the incident, the physical abuse has lessen. However, there is no guarantee that their suffering has reduced. It merely changed from physical abuse to emotional and psychological abuse and from abuse to neglect. With the parent more aware of their rights, the burden of proof on the Welfare Department is heavier should the abuse occur again.

It was a frustating situation. Till today, I keep wondering whether the Ministry of Welfare, Family Development and Women Affair has the necessary steps to make it difficult to remove parental right of negligent and abusive parents. Is it sufficient to merely hope the abusive parents volunteer to attend counselling? Is there sufficient resources to organise such counselling session? Is the Welfare Department's far in-between surprise checks sufficients to monitor the children's welfare and their education? With limited budget allocation available for Welfare Department, is there sufficient capacity for them?

Family development is nucleus for human development. Has the era of “Bapa Pembangunan Modal Insan” evolve into any significant progress in this area? I have always had reservation of the human resource development strategy in the RMK9, which is merely sloganised education development. One can't expect the strategy to look at family development as important. The same vicious circle of negligence and abuse will only repeat itself.

My fatihah and prayers to Allahyarhamah Nur Jazlin and all the victimised children of negligent and abusive parents.

9 comments:

david santos said...

Pretty children and very good text. Thank you

Unknown said...

First and last time Nurin went out alone

Mat Salo said...

Although this is article seems to be "going against the grain", I applaud you on bringing up this matter in a sensitive way. Indeed, abusive and careless parents exists and it is a fact of life.

Your piece should serve as a wake-up call to parents who have been negligent in the past.

I too am not saying that her parents were at fault. I wish them well and let them grieve in peace. But it's about time, in a society where the police seemed only intent in persecuting and prosecuting bloggers for example, that we need to step up our own vigilance.

Heck, I can't believe with all the "eyes" and "ears" of the public they haven't apprehended the culprit yet. And yet they also got bloggers in their cross-hairs...

Come-on RMP! Get your priorities right!

Unknown said...

There has been vicious rumours going round that Nurin could have been the victim of a child pornography syndicate run by singapore gangsters.
This is a vicious and unfounded rumour based on innuendos and the very slim evidence that the chinese lady seen on cctv loitering near the bag where nurin's body was found.
Even though the chinese lady has been known to work of singapore-linked organized crime this does not mean anything.
Even Police CID Chief Christopher Wan Soo Kee (who is heading the investigation) says that the woman will be not called for questioning because he does not think she is involved.
Organized-crime are humane and honorable people.
They should not be open to such vicious rumors.

A Voice said...

Mat Salo - Appreciate you cud fathom what I am trying to say.

Nuraina - Although they could be charged, I don't think they will be charged and its not easy to charge them.

If my experiance is anything o go by, the burden of proof to charge them lies with the Welfare Department. But the final judgement lies with those young cocky ciku sitting as Magistrate at lower courts.

Kua Kia - You said, "Organized-crime are humane and honorable people". Are you defending organised crime?

gram.kong said...

I am with you on parental neglect and the need to bring to book those who are guilty of the offence.Abusive parents are the worst nightmare a child can have and worst still, not many outside the hell home would know the atrocious treatment the child get.

On the Nurin case, I disagree with what the IGP did.There is a thing called 'decorum',appropriate social behaviour, at a time of bereavement and tragedy.He could have waited a bit longer before making the statement.It is also not easy for parents who are both working to police their children, especially those from the low income group.

I have said this in my post for Nurin, may God blessed her soul.

tunku said...

what left to punish nurin's parents????????? they lost their child, is that not enough? this people have to think how the parents are going thru before they open their big mouth.

Site builder said...

2 of the saddest news.

1. Nurin
2. 1/3 of Langkawi fishes dead and poisoned by a Malaysian.

How can there be murderers like that???!!!

1/3 of fishes of the 4000 number - can you imagine? And these are the main display of Langkawi Aquarium. I am so sad. I went to that Aquarium and the fishes swam there for 12 years. The Shark was 12 years old killed by a Malaysian.

We are losing our values.

1. When we get angry, we threaten others and frame one another of wrong doings. The news we read of corruptions are those framed for revealing discrepancies in the govt.

2. When we get threatened, we use C4 bombs from the government storage.

3. When we get angry, we poison fishes that have been brought all over the world.

What has become of us?

Money is our god.
Politics is our god.
We are power crazy.
We think that the short cut way is the way for Malaysians.
We think that we can get what we want, however we want it.

To solve problems, we murder.
To get what we want, we steal even if the baby is a sweetheart of another.
We resort to bribing and covering up.

But Allah S.W.T. knows and sees our heart. Hakim Yang Adil menghakimi semua.

Every action has a consequence.
What we sow, we will reap.
But, it will also cause others pain and misery.

Why? Why do it?

Just live an upright life and be patient.

Rezeki setimpal dengan usaha. Allah S.W.T. akan memberkati segala ketakwaan dan kesabaran kita. Lebih baik menanti nikmat Allah S.W.T. dari merebut dengan gelojoh tanpa memikirkan akibatnya atau hukuman yang menanti.

Marilah kita memilih makanan rohani dari makanan ego.

Kita boleh menggunakan segala peluang untuk menjadi hamba Allah S.W.T. Bersyukurlah nikmat Allah S.W.T. dan menjauhilah dari ego yang tak tentu hala.

Berikut kisah Rasulullah ketika Isra’

Rasulullah S.A.W. mengalami pembedahn dada/perut dilakukan oleh Malaikat Jibril. Hati Baginda S.A.W. dicuci dengan air zamzam, dibuang ketul hitam (’alaqah) iaitu tempat syaitan membisikkan waswasnya. Kemudian dituangkan hikmat, ilmu, dan iman ke dalam dada Rasulullah S.A.W. Selepas pembedahan, didatangkan binatang Buraq untuk ditunggangi oleh Rasulullah dalam perjalanan luar biasa yang dinamakan Isra’

Tiba di masjid al-Aqsha, Rasulullah turun dari buraq. Kemudian masuk ke dalam masjid dan mengimamkan sembahyang dua rakaat dengan segala anbia dan mursalin menjadi ma’mun.

Rasulullah SAW terasa dahaga, lalu dibawa Jibil dua jenis minuman - khamr (bahasa Arab yang bermaksud sesuatu yang memabukkan) dan susu. Lantas, Rasulullah memilih susu.

Jibril berkata,
"Benar, engkau telah memilih air susu adalah lambang kesucian dan seandainya engkau mengambil minuman keras nescaya akan tersesatlah engkau dan umat engkau."

Jika mengikut nafsu dan kebiasaan minuman jahiliah yang menonjolkan sifat kelelakian, mesti dipilih minuman keras. Tetapi, dipilih susu walaupun tidak mencerminkan tindakan agresif dan kelelakian. Memang tidak masuk akal, tapi ini juga pilihan yang akan diberkati Allah S.W.T.

Semoga kita memilih yang betul. Yang sudah memikirkan untuk memberi jawapan kesat atau jalan pintas, biarlah dipenuhi fikiran yang sempurna. Yang sudah mempunyai niat membabi buta, biarlah mengurung diri dan bersembahyang. Sembahyanglah sebelum disembahyangkan - sekarang lepas baca posting pun tidak terlambat. Masa akan menentukan apa yang bakal dianugerahkan kepada mereka yang sabar melaksanakan yang betul.

Anonymous said...

the child protection doesnt exist lah kwan..its a child act 2001.Child protection act has been repealed and replaced bt this particular act.read more law books b4 make a comment ! jadi bijak org melayu kata.

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