PETALING JAYA: With 56 children below 12 years having died tragically during school holidays between Jan 1 last year and yesterday, the Fire and Rescue Department has warned parents to pay more attention to them.
Fire and Rescue superintendent Mohd Fahmi Husin from the department’s Operations Management Centre said investigations showed that the deaths were mainly due to neglect and lack of adult supervision.
“Of the 56 cases, 38 fatalities were caused by drowning, followed by asphyxiation due to smoke and gas inhalation in fires (15 cases) and falling off buildings (three). It is worrying that parents seem oblivious to the risks their children could be exposed to in their surroundings,” he told theSun.
Mohd Fahmi suggested that parents “always keep in mind the possible dangers to their children, even if they are visiting a familiar venue”.
In the latest fatal incident yesterday, an 11-year-old boy was found drowned in a swimming pool at a Mentakab hotel in Temerloh, Pahang.
Temerloh district police chief ACP Mohd Azhar Mohd Yusoff said in the 4.45pm incident, the victim, who was an only child, was taken to the swimming pool area by his mother’s 41-year-old boyfriend.
“The victim was said to have disappeared from the sight of her mother’s boyfriend, who was busy checking his phone.”
Commenting on the department’s warning and the latest incident, Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said children should be kept safe, and that it is the responsibility of their parents and guardians to ensure this.
“Parents must initiate the protection of their children and need to be properly educated on various aspects of safety and health. This must be exercised at home and during outings.
“Child drownings during school holidays have become an annual occurrence. Parents take their children to beaches, waterfalls and riverside recreational areas, but are unaware of the risks and hazards.
“These could manifest in the form of fast-moving waters at beaches or slippery riverbanks,” he said.
Lee said apart from that, parents also need to be committed in ensuring their children’s safety on the road.
“There have been instances when parents allowed their children aged eight to 12 to ride motorcycles and also modified bicycles (basikal lajak) without adult supervision.
“This will get them into dangerous and possibly life-threatening situations.
“Even at home, children are exposed to household-related hazards. They can be electrocuted by improper use of appliances, choke on toys, drown in the bathroom or exposed to cooking gas.”
On the trend of both parents working, Lee said such couples need to find a suitable arrangement, taking into account their children’s safety needs.
This may include having extended family members look after the children at home or sending them to registered daycare centres.
Children’s rights advocate and Childline Foundation project director Datin Wong Poai Hong said cases where children died due to the absence of adult supervision are attributable to poor support systems to assist families of working parents.
“When both parents are working, the eldest sibling, who is probably also a child, would take charge of looking after the younger siblings. With the parents being absent, accidents may occur when children lack the strength or the wits of an adult to solve problems.
“In a marginalised, urban household where both parents are working, it is difficult to have support in terms of childcare, daycare and after-school care that is suitable for the parents’ long shifts and fit their monthly budget.
“Hence, they will often opt for the cheapest but not necessarily the safest option.”
However, Wong cautioned that parents who are found responsible for neglect can be charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001.
The Act states: “Any person who has in his or her care a child that is being neglected, abandoned or exposed in a manner likely to cause him/her physical or emotional injury, can be fined not exceeding RM20,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding 10 years, or both”.
