KUALA LUMPUR: A non-governmental organisation (NGO) today proposed that parents be held responsible and must face legal action under the Child Act 2001 if their under-aged children ran away from home.
Kuala Lumpur Social Development, Crime Prevention and Anti-Drugs Voluntary Organisation (Pencegah) president Jeevan S Ramamurthy said this was vital to create a more responsible society in the country as negligence of parents was the main reason for the increase in the number of cases of runaway children.
“Legal actions can be taken against the parents as the Act has been made available in the country. It’s just that the Act has yet to be fully enforced,” he told Bernama when contacted here today.
On March 19, Nornabila Mat Yaacob, 15, was reported missing, believed to have been kidnapped while on the way to buy a mobile top-up card in Jerantut.
However, she was later found safe at her boyfriend’s house in Taman Tas, Kuantan, Pahang.
Earlier, another teenage girl, Siti Nur Fatihah Mahadi, was also reported missing in Taman Tas, but when found, she admitted that she had ran away to be with her 26-year-old boyfriend on her own free will.
Jeevan said the failure of parents in paying attention to their children’s needs would cause the children, especially the teenage ones, to seek the attention of others.
“A teenage girl will probably look for a guy who will spend time with her and listen to her problems. Eventually, the girl will not even hesitate to run away from home just to be with the guy,” he said.
At the same time, Jeevan said counseling teachers could also play their roles in preventing runaway incidents.
“These teachers can help identify students who are in need of personal guidance and counseling. If they cannot help the students, at least they can refer them to the Social Welfare Department,” he added. – Bernama