KOTA KINABALU: A recent figure which placed Sabah at the top of the list of children born out of wedlock has triggered the alarm, sending a loud message that something must be done before the situation worsens.
In fact, statistics from the police also showed that baby dumping is also on the rise in Sabah, stating that between 2005 and 2010, a total of 517 cases were recorded.
It was with this in mind that a group of concerned citizens came together to spread the message through their activities to create awareness on the immorality of baby dumping while identifying the social and psychological reasons behind the act.
“We want to push for long term and holistic solutions to address this problem,” said Datuk Agnes Shim, who heads the Federation of the Chinese Associations Sabah’s Women’s Bureau (Education and Welfare Sub-Committee).
She said the project, dubbed the Stop It Now! Prevent Child Abuse Campaign, is held in conjunction with the World Day for Prevention of Abuse and Violence Against Children and Youth yesterday and the Universal Children’s Day today, Nov 20.
The event, she added, is also made possible with the collaboration of the Likas Women and Children’s Hospital’s Board of Visitors, the United Youth Movement of Malaysia and the Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s School of Social Sciences’ Communications Club.
“As far as baby dumping is concerned, Sabah ranks third in the country with 75 cases reported from 2005 to mid-May this year. This could be related to the high cases of children born out of wedlock where the state tops nationally with an alarming figure of 41,470 cases,” said Shim.
Last year at the Likas Women and Children’s Hospital alone, slightly below 150 cases of child abuse were reported and the figure tripled compared to the figure in 2009.
“This, itself, is alarming as it is estimated that only 10 per cent of cases are reported. We believe there is an urgent need to stir more awareness amongst the public about child abuse and that it must be understood that it is no longer just a family problem, it is an issue that involves the society as a whole,” she said.
Shim said considering the situation today, strengthening family and moral values, as well as healthy reproductive education are the way forward.
“We must empower our children to protect themselves from any form of abuse and to seek for help when needed. Most important is for our young girls to appreciate their self-worth … these girls must be taught that they should not ‘give’ themselves in to a man just to show their love, they have to protect their dignity and pride.
“As for the men, they must learn that it is wrong to treat women as just sex object,” said Shim.
She said part from teaching the young, the more mature society or adults must also learn to recognise the warning signs of abuse and neglect so that appropriate actions can be taken before further harm is done and the child is protected.
“We feel that child abuse can only be effectively prevented by mobilising adults, families and communities to take action.
“The campaign aims at bringing to light the alarming and escalating problem of child abuse inclusive of baby dumping as well as its multifaceted aspects, and to generate sufficient grassroots interest, government and public support for better prevention measures,” she said.
To kick off the campaign, the group will be holding the Gaya Street Campaign today, Nov 20, beginning from 6am to 2pm to give out leaflets, information with the support of the Childline Malaysia about child abuse and baby dumping. Through the programme, they also hope to promote the 15999 Talian Nur/Childline.
A similar programme will also be conducted by UMS for four days beginning Nov 21 where the students will help distribute leaflets during the Tamu Gadang organised in conjunction with their convocation ceremony.
The Likas Women and Children’s Hospital will be organising a similar programme on Friday (Nov 25) to mark the Universal Children’s Day celebration and also to launch their ‘Donate A Toy Campaign’.
“We will also be launching the Sayangi Nyawa ‘Mereka’ or Please Don’t Throw Me Away Campaign, a programme against baby dumping on Dec 9,” said Shim.
The event’s organising chairperson, Dr Pamela Yong, said that young girls should not be solely blamed for the situation, adding that: “I do not think that they are evil enough to dump their babies …their actions are sometimes affected by the pressure, the community.”
Yong said that instead of just looking at the end point of the situation, it would be best to deal with the problem from the root.
She disclosed that there are various types of abuse, namely emotional, physical, sexual, abandonment, neglectful supervision, medical neglect, and physical neglect.
“If we do not settle this problem now, we fear it will be a norm … the young will think that having sex is alright, when the girl gets pregnant, she can just dump the baby. And the problem continues,” she said.