We, as a nation, breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that the six-year-old girl who had gone missing in Johor Bahru was found.
She and her family must be traumatised, and they will need much time and therapy to heal.
Children can go missing for many reasons. Teenagers may choose to leave home due to conflict with parents or guardians. They may be running away from an abusive environment. They may be groomed by a sex predator. Or they may have issues at school or psycho-social (mental health) issues.
At times, a child may be abducted by a parent in a custody battle. Children with disabilities, particularly those with autism or severe hyperactivity, may wander off unintentionally.
And finally, there is the young child, pre-school, who is abducted by strangers, kidnapped for a financial motive or who wanders off.
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The police and the home minister state that there has been no increase in missing persons in recent years. However, police statistics show up to 900 children missing yearly; two to three per day. Fortunately, they report that the majority (85-90%) are found.
I would like to suggest some safety measures to reduce the risk of a young pre-school child going missing. This does not relate to teenage runaways or those with a disability, where different measures will be required.
Close supervision always – and devices
In one study I was involved in at the Clinical Research Centre Perak, we looked at young children’s safety at shopping complexes. Of 275 children under five years of age with caregivers, 38% were involved in at least one unsafe monitoring episode.
The majority of these children were involved in out-of-sight or out-of-reach episodes. Of concern was that 55% of caregivers allowed their young children to walk on their own without any safety measures (holding hands, carrying, use of stroller, etc). Many caregivers were distracted by or were engrossed in shopping activities or using their mobile phone.
Adults, including parents and guardians, must always closely supervise the children in their care. This is not easy to do in crowded places. Very young children can be carried or placed in a shopping trolley seat.
Parents should always hold hands with pre-school children or use a safety device that links them to the child. This could be an adjustable wrist band harness or a toddler chest harness strap. Some people frown on these safety devices, but parents who have used them will attest to their value.
Some parents invest in GPS kid trackers attached to children’s clothing or as a wristband. Some GPS devices also have a built-in SOS button which young kids can press when in a dangerous situation.
I would strongly recommend that parents avoid using their phones when out with their children as this distracts them from supervising their child.
Educate children by age two or three
All children should routinely be trained by the age of two to three years about the dangers of strangers. Children should be taught never to relate to these strangers or go with them.
Children aged four to five should also be taught their name, address, parents’ names and a phone number. It is useful to have this information on the child, attached to a neck or wrist band, that they can show others.
Parents should educate or roleplay with their children what to do if they are lost or cannot find their parents in a busy environment like a shopping mall. Teach them to approach staff at the checkout or payment counter to ask for help.
Parental preparedness
Keep updated photos of your children for identification and be aware of emergency hotlines. While we hope and pray this never happens to us, doing some reflection and reading about it make us more prepared to prevent it and to act immediately if it ever happens.
Community support
Members of the public should act if they see a young child wandering unattended. We should work to find the parents urgently.
The Malaysian community has also been helpful to help disseminate information about missing children. The police have the NUR Alert system and a missing children’s portal https://knk2hilang.rmp.gov.my which the public can access.
Bringing up a child in these difficult times is not easy. Society can support parents with our vigilance, while we look to the authorities to improve the safety of our environment. A pre-school programme to train all children on safety would be good.
Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS is a consultant paediatrician and child disability activist.
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