Society Must Learn Lesson From Crimes Against Children

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15 (Bernama) - Society must learn a lesson from violent crimes against children so that their deaths are not in vain. Crime analyst Kamal Affandi Hashim said society, particularly parents, are not taking such cases seriously and have not learned from similar cases previously. "Cases of violence agianst children are tragic but it is regrettable that people are playing the blaming game," he told Bernama when contacted here Wedneday. He said children should grow up with regular monitoring and control of not only parents but also other parties. "Children nowadays grow up in a challenging time and are more vulnerable to external threats. They need supervision or monitoring of society." Kamal said the right to educate children is the absolute right of parents while the society has the right as neighbours and observers. "Parents have to warn children 'Don't Walk in the Dark and 'Don't Take Shortcuts' to scare and stop them from wandering outside. "It is important to teach children to protect themselves and not easily believe in strangers," he said commenting on the murder of Nurul Nadirah Abdullah,5. Kuala Lumpur Social Development Volunteer, Crime Prevention and Anti-Drug Organisation president Jeevan S. Ramamurthy said what happened to Nurul Nadhirah could be avoided. "The incident happened because of the negligence of parents who are busy with their social activities. They must be sensitive to their children's sorruounding. "I hope this incident will not recur. We must not blame others as it can be prevented at home," he added. Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman Lee Lam Thye said it is the responsibility of parents and the local community to look after the safety of children. He said the abduction case not only need the full attention of police but all levels of society like parents, government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGO). "I hope this case becomes a bitter lesson to Malaysians. Its a wake up call and all parties need to play their role to avoid this kind of incidents in future," he said when launching Kolej Cybernetics Crime Prevention Club. About 6,000 Crime Prevention Clubs have been formed in secondary and primary schools nationwide. This is the first Crime Prevention Club established by a college. --BERNAMA