Preventing our children from going missing

 

From Dr Amar-Singh HSS

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 their home due to conflict with parents or guardians, or run away from an abusive environment. They may be groomed by a sex predator or face 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, young children, preschoolers, who are abducted by strangers, kidnapped for a financial motive or who simply wander off.

The police and the home minister say there has been no increase in missing persons in recent years. However, police statistics show that up to 900 children go missing yearly – two to three per day. Fortunately, they report that the majority, 85% to 90%, are found.

I would like to suggest some safety measures to reduce the risk of a young, preschool child going missing. This does not relate to teenage runaways or those with disabilities, where different measures will be required.

Close supervision

In one study that 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 involved out of sight or out of reach episodes. Of concern was that many caregivers (55%) allowed their young children to walk on their own without any safety measures (holding hands, carrying them, use of stroller, etc). Many caregivers were distracted by (engrossed in) shopping activities or using their handphone.

It is vital that adults, parents and guardians, offer close supervision to children in their care at all times. This is not easy to do in crowded places. Very young children can be carried or placed in a shopping trolly seat. Parents should always hold hands with preschool children or use a safety device that links them to their 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.

Teach two- and three-year-olds about ‘stranger danger’

All children should routinely be trained by the age of two to three years about the danger of strangers and to never go with them. Children aged four to five years should also be taught their name, address, parents’ names and phone numbers. It is useful to have this information on the child, attached to their neck or a wrist band. Parents should educate or role play with children as to what to do if they are lost or cannot find their parents in a busy environment like a shopping mall. Teach them to approach the staff at the checkout or payment counter to ask for help.

Parental preparedness

Keep updated photos of your children for identification purposes and be aware of emergency hotlines. While we hope and pray this never happens to us, doing some reflection and reading about it can prepare us for such situations, prevent it from happening and allow us 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 urgently find the parents. The Malaysian community has also been helpful in disseminating information on missing children. 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 surroundings. A preschool programme to train all children on safety would be good. - FMT

Dr Amar-Singh HSS is a consultant paediatrician and child-disability activist.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.